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OAS SECRETARY GENERAL CALLS FOR BETTER MECHANISMS TO RESOLVE DISPUTES BETWEEN COUNTRIES

The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, today called for the consideration and implementation of conflict-resolution mechanisms that would allow the OAS to help countries find solutions to bilateral problems that do not touch on their sovereignty.

Insulza made the proposal at the close of a Permanent Council meeting in which, first, Uruguay and Argentina debated issues raised by the construction of two paper mills in the border area between the two countries, and then Peru and Venezuela presented their views related to Peru’s protest of recent statements made by Venezuela’s president.

The Secretary General said that although there are avenues for addressing certain types of bilateral problems in the region, in other cases no appropriate mechanism exists. “I ask that we seek such a mechanism; perhaps we can resolve something in the General Assembly,” Insulza said, referring to the meeting of foreign ministers that will take place in the Dominican Republic in early June. He added that “maybe we can go away from there with a message to our peoples, that the willingness to agree and to compromise, the desire for peace, is present among us and that we should reflect on a mechanism by which we can resolve the disputes between our countries.”

In his remarks, Uruguayan Foreign Minister Reinaldo Gargano informed the Permanent Council that in the last five months his country has suffered trade losses of around $400 million, as a result of traffic blockades set up in Argentina to protest the construction of the paper mills in the city of Fray Bentos, across the river from Gualeguaychú, Argentina. Gargano claimed that blockading bridges constitutes a violation of the instruments of the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR) and basic norms of international law “that protect and guarantee the free movement of persons, merchandise, vehicles and goods, issues that affect not only our country but also the region and the entire international community.”

The Foreign Minister reiterated that his country “is willing to verify under the most stringent standards that the construction of the mills meets the necessary environmental conditions so there will be no danger of contamination,” but he warned that the installation of the plants will go ahead as planned.

Argentina’s Permanent Representative to the OAS, Ambassador Rodolfo Gil, said on behalf of his government that the dispute between the two neighbors arose when Uruguay “unilaterally” authorized the construction of the proposed plants and a port terminal, a step he said did not comply with a mechanism for consultation and information exchange established under the 1975 Uruguay River Statute.

The Argentine diplomat said Uruguay had ignored repeated calls for complete and detailed information about the projects, as well as a request that the construction be halted until an objective, accurate determination could be made of the potential impact on the ecosystem of the border area associated with the Uruguay River. Ambassador Gil announced that his country will go to the International Court of Justice to make its case.


During the same session, chaired by Ambassador Ellsworth John of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the Peruvian government protested recent public statements by President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela on the electoral process in Peru. Ambassador Fernando de la Flor, Peru’s Permanent Representative to the OAS, called Chávez’s statements a “flagrant” and “unprecedented” outside interference, intended to sway Peruvian voters in the elections.

De la Flor recalled that the OAS Charter underscores the basic principle of nonintervention in the internal affairs of a member country and said that no state has the right to do harm to such principles as “the democratic and free election of its national political authorities.”

Noting the difficulties that countries of the region have faced in consolidating democracy, the Peruvian diplomat warned that the system enshrined in the the Inter-American Democratic Charter “could once again face serious problems if attitudes such as those that have prompted this presentation are allowed to prevail and flourish.”

For his part, Venezuelan Ambassador Jorge Valero said that his country defends “the principles of sovereignty, free determination of peoples and nonintervention in the internal affairs of states,” but he defended his government’s right to respond to “aggressions” and criticisms aimed at the new “political, economic and social model” in Venezuela. Valero said the Peruvian presidential candidate Alan García was responsible for the initial criticisms of President Chávez, following Venezuela’s recent decision to withdraw from the Andean Community.

“The government of President Hugo Chávez has been absolutely respectful, patient and prudent in its relations with the government of the sister Republic of Peru,” Valero said, adding that his government “has only responded, firmly and categorically, to attacks on the dignity of the Venezuelan people and its democratic institutions.”

Speaking at the close of the debate, Insulza echoed concerns expressed by representatives of several countries about the need to ensure that the states maintain a dialogue and show the political will to find solutions to problems.

“All dialogue implies that we are willing to hear arguments, but also that we are willing to let ourselves be convinced that a middle road is better than a dispute,” Insulza said. “The basis of dialogue is the willingness to compromise and reach agreement,” he added.

In a communiqué issued earlier this week, the Secretary General reminded the countries of the region how difficult it had been to restore democracy in decades past and urged them to be careful and to avoid statements and actions that could increase tensions. He offered to cooperate in seeking ways to bridge differences between sister countries.

Reference: E-109/06