(E-083/00)
PRESIDENT OF ECUADORIAN CONGRESS SUPPORTS HIS GOVERNMENT’S ECONOMIC POLICY
The President of the National Congress of Ecuador, Juan Jos� Pons, today thanked the "firm and unequivocal" support of the Organization of America States (OAS) towards his country’s democratic institutions during the events that took place there last January.
During a Permanent Council session, Pons said that his country, earlier this year suffered a great threat to democracy, "a Coup failed due to the institutional fortuity and the widespread rejection from its citizens." The National Congress, he added, maintained a firm and decisive decision to:" defend at any cost the democratic system and the sovereign integrity of the state".
After reassuring that democracy remains strong and the voices of the people and its institutions have become the essential key of governmental decisions, Pons affirmed that his Congress supported the new proposed economic structure since "I consider the substancial modification of the economic policy to be unpostponable."
Pons said that facing the high increase of poverty, in which the most vulnerable groups of society are the most affected, "the country needed to find an extreme economic policy allowing to radically correct the instability, and that solution known as the dollarization has to lead to macro-economic stability.
Finally, U.S. Ambassador to the OAS, Luis Lauredo, pointed out the OAS’ immediate reaction in defense of democracy and congratulated the Ecuadorian congress for the measures taken. Lauredo also reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to continue supporting the efforts of the Congress in stabilizing the economy and therefore contributing to the well being of the people.
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