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            Venezuela would like to see the Inter-American Democratic Charter, being prepared by the Organization of American States (OAS) member countries, "reflect the hemisphere-wide political will and consensus surrounding democratic ideology."  

            The Venezuelan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luis Alfonso Dávila, said so today while addressing a specially-convened session of the OAS Permanent Council.  He stressed that "democracy without full and real representation of citizens is not democracy."             

Dávila described participation and representation as "two inseparable components of a democratic system," noting that everyone believes that "representative democracy is reinforced and deepened through ongoing, ethical and responsible participation of the citizenry within a legal framework that is consistent with the constitution." 

            Commenting on "the courageous stance taken by countries supporting the call to lift the embargo on Cuba," Minister Dávila declared that "there is no reason for wanting to keep a sister republic excluded."  He said too that Venezuela is seeking to improve relations with the United States and Canada.  "We in fact enjoy good relations, but would like to deepen them further." 

            As regards the internal situation in his country, the minister maintained that political parties and organizations go about their business with utmost freedom.  "We have no political prisoners nor exiles, nor do we persecute people for their ideology or party affiliation," he asserted. 

            The Venezuelan Foreign Minister noted as well that his government has insisted on participatory democracy as a fundamental element of government operations.  But he conceded that "we are not yet satisfied" because they still have no mechanism for popular representation and participation—or the ones they have are inadequate.     

Permanent Council Chairman, Costa Rica's Ambassador to the OAS Hernán R. Castro, welcomed Minister Davila and hailed his internationalist perspective and his commitment to the inter-American agenda.

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