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OAS SECRETARY GENERAL EXPRESSED SATISFACTION WITH THE PREPARATIONS FOR THE FIFTH SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS

At the end of his two-day visit to Trinidad and Tobago, the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, commended the Government of that Caribbean country for the advanced state of preparations for the Fifth Summit of the Americas.

Insulza said that, based on his experience of other international conferences, he was impressed by the degree of preparedness –two months ahead of time—for the Summit meeting, which will take place in Port of Spain, from April 17 to 19, 2009.

The head of the Hemisphere’s leading political organization also stressed his personal commitment and that of the OAS General Secretariat to continue working with the Government of Trinidad and Tobago to ensure the success of the Fifth Summit. Specifically, he offered cooperation for the preparatory technical meetings leading up to the Summit and said he was ready to provide any other assistance that might be requested.

During his two-day visit to the country, Insulza met with the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Patrick Manning; the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Paula Gopee-Scoon; the Minister of National Security, Martin Joseph; and the Minister of Finance, Mariano Browne; as well as with ambassadors of OAS member states and representatives of international organizations based in Port of Spain. He also received a detailed briefing from officials of the National Secretariat on plans for the meeting of Heads of State and Government.

The Secretary General expressed satisfaction with the fact that this Summit of the Americas would be the first to be held in the Caribbean and he reiterated his trust in Trinidad and Tobago as the host country for this hemispheric meeting. He also emphasized that the country had a highly developed physical infrastructure and the capacity to attract international investment.

Insulza added that the Fifth Summit of the Americas would bring together more than 5,000 participants from 33 countries in the Hemisphere, who would have an opportunity to “appreciate Trinidad and Tobago from another perspective.” All the Heads of State of the OAS member states were expected to participate, Insulza said.

OAS Secretary General stated that the Summit was an "excellent opportunity" to strengthen multilateralism by allowing all OAS member states to sit down together to discuss the burning issues confronting the hemisphere, ranging from the impact of the global financial crisis on the region and the need for a collective and effective response, to human prosperity, energy security and environmental sustainability.

For his part, the National Coordinator of the Summit, Ambassador Luis Alberto Rodríguez, said he expected the Declaration of Commitment of Port of Spain to be approved by the end of March. Rodríguez chairs the negotiations of the Summit Implementation Review Group (SIRG), the political body responsible for coordinating the agenda of the Summit of the Americas, handling preparations, and monitoring compliance with the mandates adopted by the Heads of State and Government of the region.

The SIRG is expected to continue its deliberations over the coming days in Washington, D.C. on the principal topic of the Summit, “Securing Our Citizens’ Future by Promoting Human Prosperity, Energy Security, and Environmental Sustainability.”

The Fifth Summit of the Americas brings together all 34 democratically elected presidents and prime ministers of the Hemisphere to discuss the principal political, economic, social, and security challenges facing the region and to prepare strategies and solutions to deal with those challenges. The Summit Meeting in Trinidad and Tobago will afford the first opportunity for the new administration in the United States to be seated at the same table with its counterparts throughout the Hemisphere.

Reference: E-050/09