MR. REPRESENTATIVE OF THE PRIME MINISTER,

MEMBERS OF THE STEERING COMMITTEE,

NATIONAL COORDINATORS,

DISTINGUISHED AMBASSADORS,

REPRESENTATIVES OF INTER-AMERICAN AND INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS,

REPRESENTATIVES OF REGIONAL BANKS,

FRIENDS







LET ME TAKE A MOMENT TO WELCOME YOU BACK TO THE OAS, IN THE NAME OF THE SECRETARY GENERAL. I WILL TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SAY SOME WORDS ABOUT THE IMPORTANT ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE SUMMIT PROCESS, AND PERHAPS OFFER A FEW THOUGHTS ON HOW IT MIGHT BE ABLE TO DO MORE.



EVEN A QUICK LOOK MAKES CLEAR THAT WE ARE ON TRACK. SINCE QUEBEC, WE HAVE IMPLEMENTED SEVERAL ITEMS OF THE QUEBEC CITY PLAN OF ACTION THAT REQUIRE MULTILATERAL GATHERINGS TO FURTHER SECTORAL PROGRESS – FOR INSTANCE, THE OAS HOSTED A WEEK-LONG MEETING ON THE DRAFT AMERICAN DECLARATION OF THE RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLE, AND THE HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT MINISTERS AND THE MINISTERS OF JUSTICE AND ATTORNEYS GENERAL HAVE MET IN THE PAST FEW WEEKS. THE ADOPTION OF THE INTER-AMERICAN DEMOCRATIC CHARTER SIX MONTHS AGO IS A SIGNAL ACHIEVEMENT FOR IT STRENGTHENS THE CORNERSTONE, THE FUNDAMENTAL UNDERPINNINGS, OF OUR COOPERATION.



MY IMPRESSION IS THAT MINISTERIAL PROCESSES ARE ONE OF THE GREATEST SUCCESSES OF THE SUMMIT. THEY ARE DEVELOPING SPECIALISED MECHANISMS WITH THEIR OWN DYNAMISM AND BRINGING TOGETHER GOVERNMENT EXPERTS ON ISSUES OF COMMON CONCERN. THE TRANSPORT, ENERGY, FINANCE AND JUSTICE MINISTERIALS ARE ALL EXAMPLES OF THIS PROCESS – AS OF COURSE IS THAT OF THE MINISTERS OF TRADE WORKING TOWARDS THE FREE TRADE AREA OF THE AMERICAS.



WE ARE NOT, HOWEVER, MAKING EQUIVALENT PROGRESS IN THE PUBLIC AWARENESS OR ON THE MUCH MORE COMPLEX AND RESOURCE-INTENSIVE SOCIO-ECONOMIC ISSUES IDENTIFIED AT QUEBEC CITY. THE OUTCOME OF THE UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON FINANCING FOR DEVELOPMENT WILL I HOPE PROVE RELEVANT TO SUMMIT IMPLEMENTATION AND RESOURCE ALLOCATION DECISIONS IN THIS REGARD.



HOWEVER INDELICATE, THE DISCUSSION OF FUNDING IS ESSENTIAL. YOUR AGENDA INCLUDES AN OVERVIEW OF THE ACTIVITIES OF THE CARIBBEAN DEVELOPMENT BANK, THE CORPORACIÓN ANDINA DE FOMENTO, AND CABEI, THE CENTRAL AMERICAN BANK FOR ECONOMIC INTEGRATION. COORDINATION AMONG INTER-AMERICAN FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS AND THE WORLD BANK IS FUNDAMENTAL TO CONCRETE PROGRESS. AND WE ALL KNOW THAT THE CAPACITY OF OAS ITSELF IS STILL SIGNIFICANTLY RESOURCE-CONSTRAINED. I HOPE THE MINISTERIAL SIRG YOU ARE PLANNING TO HOLD IN BARBADOS WILL MOVE US FORWARD IN THIS REGARD.



IN ADDITION TO THESE CRITICAL RESOURCE ISSUES, I WOULD LIKE TO SUGGEST ANOTHER AREA THAT DESERVES OUR ATTENTION.



THESE ARE TRYING TIMES, WHICH REQUIRE INNOVATIVE CONTACTS AND MECHANISMS TO ADDRESS INCREASINGLY COMPLEX PROBLEMS. THE OPTIMISM AT THE TIME OF THE QUEBEC CITY SUMMIT NOT QUITE A YEAR AGO SEEMS RATHER DISTANT. FROM TERRORIST ATTACKS TO ECONOMIC DIFFICULTIES, FROM MAN-MADE CONFLICTS TO ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTERS, THE PAST YEAR HAS BEEN A DIFFICULT ONE.



IN SOME AREAS, THE RESPONSE OF THE GOVERNMENTS OF THE AMERICAS HAS BEEN SWIFT AND ENCOURAGING. THE MEETING OF CONSULTATION OF FOREIGN MINISTERS AND THE ACTIVATION OF THE INTER-AMERICAN COMMITTEE AGAINST TERRORISM ARE OBVIOUS EXAMPLES. SO TOO IS THE MAJOR PROGRESS BEING MADE HERE IN THE OAS ON THE CONVENTION AGAINST TERRORISM, UNDER THE CHAIRMANSHIP OF MEXICO. AND ONE SHOULD NOT FORGET THE PIONEERING MULTILATERALISM OF THE MEM AND CICAD, WHOSE EFFORTS IN COUNTER-NARCOTICS INVOLVE COOPERATION IN MANY AREAS SIMILAR TO THOSE OF COUNTER-TERRORISM.



IN OTHER AREAS, HOWEVER, MUCH REMAINS TO BE DONE. MULTILATERALISM CAN NOT SOLVE INTERNAL PROBLEMS. INDEED, IT IS A CARDINAL RULE THAT WITHOUT DUE INITIATIVE AND CONSENT OF THE COUNTRY CONCERNED, NO PROBLEM CAN BE DISCUSSED, FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE POLITICAL BODIES OF THE OAS. RESPECT FOR THE SOVEREIGNTY AND NON-INTERVENTION IN THE INTERNAL AFFAIRS OF MEMBER STATES IS THE BEDROCK OF OUR COOPERATION. THAT UNDERSTOOD, MANY PROBLEMS CANNOT BE SOLVED EXCLUSIVELY WITHIN THE DOMESTIC SPHERE.



WHAT WE NEED, I DARE SUGGEST IS A BETTER LINK, AN “ENGRANAGE”, BETWEEN THE DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL AREAS. AND IT IS HERE THAT I FEEL THE SUMMIT PROCESS CAN BE A CRITICAL TOOL. PRESIDENTS CAN MAKE COMMITMENTS AND TAKE ACTION IN WAYS THAT ESTABLISHED DIPLOMATIC OR INSTITUTIONAL MECHANISMS CANNOT. PRESIDENTS ARE THE ONES WHO CAN MOST EASILY BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL ISSUES AND BETTER ORGANIZE THE STRENGTHS OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO SUPPORT MEMBER STATES WITH DIFFICULTIES.



SO I CONGRATULATE YOU FOR YOUR WORK REVIEWING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF EXISTING PRESIDENTIAL MANDATES. AND I ALSO HOPE THE SIRG CAN WORK AS A MORE FLUID CONDUIT TO OUR HEADS OF GOVERNMENT AND PRESIDENTS, BRINGING TIMELY PRESIDENTIAL ATTENTION AND ACTION ON THE MANY ISSUES THAT THRUST THEMSELVES UPON US, SOMETIMES UNEXPECTEDLY.



YOUR EXAMINATION, TODAY, OF THE QUEBEC CITY MANDATES IN LIGHT OF THE EVENTS OF SEPTEMBER 11TH IS AN EXAMPLE OF THE ADAPTATION OF OUR COOPERATION TO NEW PROBLEMS; BUT WE MUST ENSURE THAT WE DO NOT ALLOW OUT ANTI-TERRORISM ACTIONS TO REBUILD THE WALLS WE ARE TEARING DOWN IN ADVANCING REGIONAL INTEGRATION. IT IS AN APPROACH THAT, IF FULLY DEVELOPED, I BELIEVE, WILL ULTIMATELY PROMOTE A DEEPER IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS DECLARATIONS AND PLANS OF ACTION.



THANK YOU AND GOOD WORK.