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OAS Mission Concludes Visit to Paraguay

The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, today concluded his visit to Paraguay, where he headed a special mission that included the Permanent Representatives to the Organization of Haiti, Duly Brutus; Canada, Allan Culham; the United States, Carmen Lomellin; Honduras, Leónidas Rosa Bautista; and Mexico, Joel Antonio Hernández; with the objective to meet with authorities from the three branches of Government, as well as the main stakeholders in the current political crisis, in order to submit a report to the Hemispheric Institution’s Permanent Council.

“We leave under the impression that there was openness from everyone to provide us with information on the case, full access, and a strong desire to look forward to the future and to continue building this country. To that end, dialogue and understanding are necessary, and I hope we can contribute towards that goal,” Secretary General Insulza said after the visit.

The head of the Hemispheric Organization said: “On behalf of the Ambassadors, I wish to thank all Paraguayans for the kind attention they provided us. These were two days of uninterrupted work, which included conversations with all powers of the State–Executive, Legislative, and Judicial–; the Electoral Court; President Lugo, his attorneys and former collaborators, as well as the Catholic Church.”

In less than two days, Insulza completed an agenda that started with a meeting with President Federico Franco and Foreign Minister José Fernández Estigarribia. This was followed by a meeting with former President Lugo and his attorneys, with former Interior Minister Carlos Filizzola and with the heads of the Senate, Jorge Antonio Oviedo Matto, and the Chamber of Deputies, Víctor Bogado.

With the aim of listening to all sides’ versions and analyses of the situation, the OAS Mission met with representatives from the Authentic Radical Liberal Party (PLRA), Guasú Front, Colorado Party, National Union of Ethical Citizens (UNACE), and Beloved Fatherland Party (PPQ).

A meeting with the President of the Supreme Court of Justice, Víctor Núñez, was also on the agenda of Secretary General Insulza and the Ambassadors, who met as well with all members of the country’s highest court of justice.

The Episcopal Conference of Paraguay, the National Federation of Farmworkers, indigenous leaders, the Industrial Union, journalists and media owners completed the list of interviews held by the OAS Mission, which aimed at hearing all Paraguayan political and social stakeholders in order to present next Monday a comprehensive report to the Permanent Council.

Secretary General Insulza is set to travel from Asunción to Saint Lucia, where he will attend tomorrow the Thirty-Third Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

A gallery of photos of the event is available here.

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

Reference: E-243/12