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THE OAS SUPPORTS THE GOVERNMENT OF GUATEMALA AND WELCOMES ITS COMMITMENT TO INVESTIGATE AND CLARIFY RECENT EVENTS

The Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OEA) approved, by acclamation, a Resolution to support the Government of the Republic of Guatemala, and welcomed the government’s commitment to investigate and clarify the recent events that have had a great socio-political impact on that country.

The document was adopted after a presentation made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Guatemala, Haroldo Rodas Melgar, at the beginning of the Ordinary Session of the OAS Permanent Council, the political body of the organization, composed by the 34 representatives of its member states.

The Resolution resolves “to support the constitutional Government of Guatemala in its obligation to preserve the democratic institutional system and the effective exercise of the rule of law,” and welcomes “the commitment by the Government of Guatemala to investigate and clarify the recent events, defend lawfulness, avoid impunity, and ensure the effective exercise of constitutional guarantees and the full validity of democratic institutions,” recognizing the Government’ efforts in this regard.

The fourth point of the Resolution repudiates “any act of violence that may lead to a situation of political instability or of unrest among the population, disrupting law and order and social harmony.”

Finally, it requests the OAS Secretary General, José Miguel Insulza to “offer the Organization’s full cooperation, at the request of the Government of Guatemala, to strengthen and preserve the democratic institutional system” in this Central American country.

Before the Permanent Council, Minister Rodas highlighted the “critical situation that Guatemala is going through, being buffeted by a series of circumstances and situations that, far from being isolated, are linked together, and articulated with the purpose of creating an auspicious environment that seeks to destabilize the constitutional order and to undermine the rule of law and the democratic governability.”

The Head of Guatemalan diplomacy underlined his “firm rejection of the vile and cowardly murder” of attorney Rodrigo Rosenberg Marzano, that occurred last Sunday, May 10th, in Guatemala City. He also “categorically rejected the suggestions of involvement on the part of President Alvaro Colom Caballeros, the First Lady and the President’s Private Secretary in this hideous act”.

“At this critical juncture, Guatemala strongly exhorts the OAS member countries to give the people of our country the hemispheric solidarity we need, and to provide their full support for the constitutional Government of Guatemala and democratically-elected President Colom, in order to maintain the stability and social peace in the country,” he said.

After the approval of the Resolution, the OAS Secretary General stressed that the Permanent Council “has decided to support Guatemala to end this wave of violence and crimes, at the same time as it ensures the institutional, democratic development that implies a definitive clarification of the events.”

Insulza praised the Government of Guatemala’s commitment to “be widely transparent in finding the truth” of the episodes occurred. He announced that next week he will be traveling to the country to “speak to all the sectors involved, and to contribute to building greater understanding and the strengthening of peace”.

Reference: E-166/09