(E-032/01) February 13, 2001  CORRUPTION IS A CHALLENGE TO DEMOCRACY, SAYS ARGENTINA'S NEW AMBASSADOR TO THE OAS Argentina's new ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS), Raul Ricardes, said today that corruption is one of the most glaring challenges facing democracy and its institutions. Speaking to a special session of the OAS Permanent Council, the Argentine diplomat said that "it is now an accepted fact that corruption is a serious roadblock to economic growth and sustainable development, and frequently entails violations of human rights." He proposed that governments and civil society should commit themselves firmly to designing and implementing concrete measures in this area, and, pointing to initiatives such as the Inter-American Convention against Corruption, said that "the OAS has been a pioneer, and one that other regions of the world are today seeking to emulate." Ambassador Ricardes also referred to the close interrelationship between democracy, development and human rights, noting that although democracy has frequently been put to the test in America, the OAS has demonstrated its capacity to respond, and "has consistently taken the lead in seeking effective solutions." He reiterated his country’s "unwavering support" for the inter-American system for the protection and promotion of human rights, and in particular the Court and the Commission. "The democracy of which we are all so proud means, among other things, eradicating the systematic violations of human rights that many of our people, including in my country, have suffered at the hands of the State," he said. Stressing the importance of designing a new hemispheric security structure, "one of the great challenges facing us", the Argentine diplomat said that his country believes in the capacity and potential of the OAS to assist in resolving disputes, through preventive diplomacy that encourages the parties involved to seek peaceful and negotiated solutions, especially when it comes to frontier disputes. Ambassador Ricardes, who yesterday presented his credentials to the OAS Secretary General, Cesar Gaviria, joined his country's foreign service in 1972, where he was Director of International Organizations between 1996 and 1999, and subsequently Undersecretary for Foreign Policy. He has also served as his government's Special Envoy in Haiti and has held a number of senior positions in Argentina's embassies to the United Nations, Tunisia and United States.  **********