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E-035/01
February 14, 2001 

SECRETARY GENERAL EXPRESSES HIS SORROW
AT THE LATEST EARTHQUAKE IN EL SALVADOR

 

The Secretary General of the Organization of American States, César Gaviria, today expressed his profound sadness at the cruel blow to the Republic of El Salvador, which has suffered yet another killer earthquake.

The Secretary General said that this tragedy, only a month after the last devastating earthquake, underscores the fact that the international community must be able to help El Salvador once again, and develop a standing capacity to mitigate natural disasters wherever and whenever they occur in the Hemisphere.

The Secretary General visited El Salvador January 13 to express his solidarity with the Salvadorian Government and people. He used the opportunity to hand over, on behalf of the Pan American Development Foundation, various donations to assist the country with its relief and reconstruction efforts. Other relief donations for El Salvador were also coordinated by the OAS, including contributions from the Inter-American Emergency Aid Fund and from OAS Member States and Permanent Observer States.

In the wake of yesterday’s tragedy, the Secretary General is once again appealing to all Member States of the OAS and all Permanent Observer States to assist the people of El Salvador. He is also announcing that the Inter-American Committee on Natural Disaster Reduction, which he chairs, is preparing an inventory of resources and mechanisms available to states affected by natural disasters. He has today discussed this matter with senior officials of various OAS member governments, including the Bush administration.

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