CP/RES. 930 (1632/08)

CONVOCATION OF THE MEETING OF CONSULTATION OF MINISTERS
OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND APPOINTMENT OF A COMMISSION

(Approved at its meeting of March 5, 2008)

THE PERMANENT COUNCIL OF THE ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES,

TAKING INTO ACCOUNT:

That the Organization of American States (OAS) is fully competent to take cognizance of deeds and events that jeopardize hemispheric peace and security;

That the purposes of the Organization of American States include respect for the personality, sovereignty, and independence of states and the faithful fulfillment of obligations derived from treaties and other sources of international law;

That Article 15 of the Charter of the Organization of American States establishes that “[t]he right of each State to protect itself and to live its own life does not authorize it to commit unjust acts against another State”;

That Article 19 of the Charter prescribes that “No State or group of States has the right to intervene, directly or indirectly, for any reason whatever, in the internal or external affairs of any other State. The foregoing principle prohibits not only armed force but also any other form of interference or attempted threat against the personality of the State or against its political, economic, and cultural elements”;

That Article 21 of the Charter emphasizes that “The territory of a State is inviolable; it may not be the object, even temporarily, of military occupation or of other measures of force taken by another State, directly or indirectly, on any grounds whatever”;

That the Charter of the Organization of American States stipulates, in Article 28, that “Every act of aggression by a State against the territorial integrity or the inviolability of the territory or against the sovereignty or political independence of an American State shall be considered an act of aggression against the other American states”;

That the Charter of the Organization of American States reaffirms the principle that “Controversies of an international character arising between two or more American States shall be settled by peaceful procedures”; and

That “[t]o strengthen the peace and security of the continent” and “ensure the pacific settlement of disputes that may arise among the Member States” are among the essential purposes of the OAS Charter;

CONSIDERING:

That on the morning of Saturday, March 1, 2008, military forces and police personnel of Colombia entered the territory of Ecuador, in the province of Sucumbíos, without the express consent of the government of Ecuador to carry out an operation against members of an irregular group of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia who were clandestinely encamped on the Ecuadorian side of the border;

That that act constitutes a violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ecuador and of principles of international law;

That that act has triggered a serious crisis between those two countries, leading to the breaking off of relations between the two states and grave tension in the region;

That, pursuant to Article 84 of the Charter, one function of the OAS is to keep vigilance over the maintenance of friendly relations among the member states, using the procedures provided for in that Charter; and

That this case meets the conditions for convocation of a Meeting of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, in light of Articles 61 ff of the OAS Charter,

RESOLVES

1. To reaffirm the principle that the territory of a state is inviolable and may not be the object, even temporarily, of military occupation or of other measures of force taken by another State, directly or indirectly, on any grounds whatsoever.

2. To constitute a commission, headed by the Secretary General and composed of four ambassadors designated by him, to visit both countries, traveling to the places that the parties indicate, to submit the corresponding report to the Meeting of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, and to propose formulas for bringing the two nations closer together.

3. To convene, under the provisions of Articles 61, 62, and 63 of the Charter of the Organization of American States, a Meeting of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, to be held on Monday, March 17, 2008, at OAS headquarters, to examine the facts and make pertinent recommendations.