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At OAS, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Guatemala Reaffirms His Country’s Commitment with the Inter-American System

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Guatemala, Harold Caballeros, reaffirmed today before the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) the commitment of its country with the Inter-American System, and praised the effort of the hemispheric forum to “consolidate representative democracy” and “contribute to the peace and security of the continent,” respecting the non-intervention principle and safeguarding the Human Rights protection system.

During the special session of the Council, held in the Organization’s Washington, DC, headquarters, Minister Caballeros said the hemisphere needs “a political willingness to have a more effective, more participative OAS, open to civil society and the private sector,” and highlighted the new “strategic vision” for the Organization presented recently by Secretary General José Miguel Insulza. “This proposal contains ideas and important suggestions on how to rationalize the work of the OAS, and its content should be the object of deeper analysis,” he added.

During the protocolary session, Secretary General Insulza said the presence of the Minister of Guatemala before the Council “highlights the commitment the President of Guatemala, Otto Perez Molina, and its government has with our Organization,” and he specifically thanked the offer of the Central America country to host the OAS General Assembly in 2013.

The high-ranked official of the hemispheric organization showed his full support for the efforts being made by Guatemala’s government against crime and for achieving “the full exercise of democracy,” and he noted “with great admiration, the achievements already obtained” by the Central American Executive in this matter. Among them, he mentioned “the approval of tax reform, compliance with the President to establish a ministry of development, the extension of the mandate of the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), and the ratification of the International Criminal Court."

Secretary General Insulza also stressed that Guatemala will always find "the unequivocal support of the OAS in the protection and expansion of democratic gains to build citizenship, to give people more opportunities, and create a safe environment for the full development of all beings inhabiting this land."

In his speech, Guatemalan Foreign Minister highlighted the role the the Inter-American Democratic Charter plays in the Hemisphere, which he described as a "testimony and fundamental reference for the actions of the OAS in the area of ​​support for representative democracy."

Explaining the plans of its government, the Guatemalan Foreign Minister said he is committed to "the consolidation of peace, prompt and full justice, comprehensive security, and economic and social development of all Guatemalans," respecting the "human rights and fundamental freedoms, including freedom of expression." As an example, he detailed the three "national agreements" that the government of President Otto Perez Molina has set as target, "the pact on peace, security and justice, the pact against hunger and malnutrition, and the covenant to promote economic development and fiscal restructuring."

In particular, Minister Caballeros stressed that one of the greatest challenges for its country, and in general for Central America, is "to provide security for its people," because the levels of violence and insecurity that exist in some countries of the Hemisphere "erode the rule of law, governance and the effective exercise of human rights." In that respect, he highlighted and showed interest in the actions the OAS has developed in this area, and said "regional cooperation to combat transnational organized crime in all its forms and manifestations" is one of the "specific commitments" of the Sixth Summit of the Americas, to be held in April in Cartagena de Indias (Colombia).

“The OAS can and must assume firm commitments on security matters and Guatemala is willing to provide support,” stressed Minister Caballeros.

A gallery of photos of the event is available here.

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.

Reference: E-051/12