SEEKING CONCRETE RESULTS, OAS PROMOTES
STRONGER ANTI-CORRUPTION MEASURES FOR THE AMERICAS

Seeking tangible results in the fight against corruption, the Organization of American States is conducting a series of technical meetings in Panama, Nicaragua and Peru, to promote the implementation of the Inter-American Convention against Corruption, adopted in Caracas, Venezuela, in March 1996.

Panamanian President Mireya Moscoso will participate in the meetings scheduled to be held in her country September 18 and 19. Nicaragua's meeting will he held in Managua on September 20 and participants will include Vice President Enrique Bolaños Geyer. The technical meeting moves to Lima, Peru, September 22 and 23.

Participants will engage in workshops where they will assess proposals put forward in studies conducted in Panama, Nicaragua and Peru earlier this year, and will seek to arrive at a consensus on the promotion and adoption of legislative reforms in the three countries. The technical meetings were decided on after studies were completed on the laws of these countries.

The meetings are part of a broader effort involving twelve countries of the Americas where similar efforts will be pursued. Besides the three countries mentioned, the OAS has concluded studies on the laws of Argentina, Honduras and El Salvador and a group of consultants is currently studying the laws of Chile, Bolivia, Ecuador, Guatemala and Paraguay. The Organization's Department of Legal Cooperation and Information expects to complete the twelve studies by year-end.

Of the 34 OAS member states, 19 have so far ratified the anti-corruption treaty, and the United States is expected to do so over the next few weeks, following Senate approval.

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