Media Center

Press Advisory

ALBERT RAMDIN, A SURINAMESE DIPLOMAT, TO BE INSTALLED AS OAS ASSISTANT SECRETARY GENERAL TUESDAY, JULY 19

The Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) convenes in special session on Tuesday, July 19, at 3:00 p.m., to officially install Ambassador Albert R. Ramdin as the Organization’s Assistant Secretary General.

Ambassador Ramdin was elected to the post by the hemisphere’s foreign ministers gathered for the OAS General Assembly, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, this past June 7. Ramdin succeeds the American diplomat Luigi Einaudi who concluded his five-year term earlier this week.

A Surinamese diplomat who has served, among other things, as his country’s ambassador to the OAS and as advisor to former OAS Secretary General César Gaviria, Ramdin more recently was special advisor to the government of Suriname on Western Hemisphere Affairs.

WHAT: Installation of Ambassador Albert Ramdin as new OAS Assistant Secretary General, followed by a press conference

WHEN: Tuesday, July 19, 2005

TIME: 3:00 p.m.

WHERE: Hall of the Americas
OAS Main Building
17th Street & Constitution Ave., NW
Washington, D.C.

A Media Center will be available. Journalists with television, radio and camera equipment must use the “C” Street entrance of the OAS Main Building.

The session is open to the media, and a photo opportunity will precede the swearing-in ceremony. No television cameras will be permitted into the Hall of the Americas, but live pool television transmission of the ceremony will be provided at the Basement.
Both the swearing-in ceremony and the press conference will be broadcast live via Satellite and webcast also live over the Internet, (www.oea.org).

The press conference will be held in the Miranda Room, next to the Hall of the Americas. Spanish and English interpreting will be provided.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION

One and a half hours of the opening ceremonies and the following activities will be available live to all TV networks (open channel or multi-destination satellite signal), the broadcast will have coverage over the Americas, the Caribbean Region and Europe
Satellite Downlink & Schedule Information:
07/19/05 15:00-16:30ET (GMT 19:00 - 20:30)

Satellite: PAS9 (9 Mbit/sec)
C Band
Transponder 24C – Slot D
Horizontal Polarization
Symbol Rate 6.1113 MS
FEC ¾
D/L FREQ 4173.5 MHz
This broadcast will be coordinated by Primestream Corporation and the OAS Office of Public Information.
For more technical information and 24/7 help desk assistance please contact Claudio Lisman at Primestream Corporation (305) 467-4212 / Reference OAS Broadcast or via e-mail to [email protected] or Gabriel Gross (202) 458-3752 [email protected]

Reference: AVI-082/05