NEW MEXICAN ENVOY PLEDGES CONTINUED SUPPORT FOR OAS REFORM

April 16, 1998

Mexico's new permanent representative to the OAS, Claude Heller, presented credentials to Organization of American States (OAS) Secretary General César Gaviria on Tuesday, declaring his country would continue supporting the process of renewal and reform of the hemispheric agency.

The Mexican diplomat said his government viewed the OAS as a particularly important organization--"an essential forum for defending the basic principles of coexistence among nations, including respect for the basic principles of international law, non-intervention and self determination of peoples."

Welcoming the new envoy, Secretary General Gaviria recalled Mexico's tremendous contribution to the OAS and the "very active role it now plays in efforts to transform the OAS, for it to assume its rightful role in inter-American relations."

Ambassador Heller has held several positions in his country's foreign service. His most recent post was as ambassador in Cuba since 1995, before which he was ambassador in Switzerland, Austria, and Slovenia. He was also permanent representative to Geneva-based international organizations. At the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs, he was Coordinator General for Advisors to the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Director of Multilateral Affairs, and Director General for United Nations Affairs, among other important posts.

As an academic, the Mexican diplomat has taught at the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana and at the Colegio de México, and has authored several publications on international affairs and Mexican foreign policy.

Ambassador Heller holds a Bachelor's degree in international relations from the Colegio de México and earned a Master's degree in history and international relations from the Institute of Advanced Studies in Geneva, Switzerland.

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