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OAS Designates Special Representative to Nicaragua, Honduras
The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), César Gaviria, has appointed Luigi Einaudi as his special representative to examine the current situation in Honduras and Nicaragua. The appointment is effective immediately.
"Ambassador Einaudi is a well-known and respected diplomat who has considerable knowledge of inter-American issues and extensive experience in efforts to find solutions to difficult conflicts," Gaviria said. "This decision was made after consultations with the governments of Honduras and Nicaragua. I have every confidence that Ambassador Einaudi is the ideal person to facilitate a dialogue and reduce tensions between the two countries."
The OAS Permanent Council on Tuesday approved a resolution calling for the Secretary General to nominate, "with the greatest possible urgency," a special representative to "evaluate the situation, facilitate dialogue, and formulate recommendations aimed at easing tension and preventing acts that could affect peace in the Hemisphere." The Permanent Council’s action came during a special session convened at the request of Honduras and Nicaragua. Tensions have arisen between the two countries as the result of the recent approval, by the Honduran Congress, of a maritime delimitation treaty with Colombia.
Einaudi is a Visiting Senior Fellow at the Inter-American Dialogue in Washington, D.C., working on multilateral governance and conflict resolution. Einaudi retired from the U.S. Department of State in 1997 after a long diplomatic career. He served as the U.S. Ambassador to the OAS from 1989 to 1993. From 1995 to 1998, he was the U.S. Special Envoy in the peace talks that led to a comprehensive settlement of the boundary conflict between Ecuador and Peru.
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