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SPAIN INVITED TO FULL PARTICIPATION IN OAS ANTI-TERRORISM COMMITTEE

The government of Spain, a Permanent Observer with the Organization of American States (OAS), has been invited to full participation in the activities of the Inter-American Committee Against Terrorism (CICTE).

Mexico’s Ambassador to the OAS, Miguel Ruiz-Cabañas, extended the invitation on behalf of the OAS delegations of the Latin American Integration Association (ALADI) during today’s regular meeting of the OAS Permanent Council. He was speaking after a moment of silence to honor the victims of the March 11 bomb blasts that killed some 200 and injured more than 1,500 on passenger trains in Madrid.

Ambassador Ruiz-Cabañas said Spain was being invited to join CICTE, “without prejudice to its Permanent Observer status with the OAS, as a fully active member in the work of CICTE so the benefits of our regional cooperation extend to that country and its government.” Declaring those terrorist attacks another expression of barbarism and intolerance and an assault upon democratic values, the Mexican envoy observed that fortunately, despite the attacks, Spain has remained steadfast in its democratic values.

Presiding over the session, the Permanent Council’s Vice Chairman, Ambassador Valter Pecly Moreira of Brazil, conveyed sympathies to the victims’ families and to the government and people of Spain, through that country’s Permanent Observer, Ambassador Eduardo Gutiérrez. He read a Permanent Council statement issued March 11 following the blasts, strongly condemning the terrorist attacks and noting how the tragedy has thrown the nations of the Americas into mourning.

Besides the Mexican delegation, other member state representatives condemned the attacks and supported the proposal for Spain’s active involvement in CICTE. Also conveying sympathies to the victims’ families and to the government and people of Spain, were among others: Ambassador Denis Antoine of Grenada, representing the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) delegations; Alternate Representative Gwyneth Kutz of Canada; Alternate Representative Timothy Dunn of the United States; and Interim Permanent Representative, Ambassador Juan León of Guatemala, on behalf of the Central American countries and the Dominican Republic.

“Gestures such as those from the Permanent Council today comfort and reassure us that we are not alone in this endeavor,” the Spanish Permanent Observer remarked, expressing deep appreciation for the outpouring of solidarity in the OAS Council, as he recalled that Spain has been fighting the scourge of terrorism for decades.

During today’s session, the Permanent Council also observed a moment of silence in honor of the late former Prime Minister of Barbados, Sir Harold St. John, and the late former President of Ecuador, Carlos Julio Arosemena Monroy. The former Barbadian leader died February 29, and the former Ecuadorian President past away March 6.

Reference: E-041/04