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Panama’s President Calls on OAS Permanent Council to Have an Organization that Is "Strong, Vibrant, and Deliberative”

The Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) today held a protocolary session to host the President of the Republic of Panama, Ricardo Martinelli, who recognized the "excellent work" carried out by the hemispheric organization, and called on Member States to increase their contributions and make the OAS "a strong, vibrant, and deliberative organization that helps us more in solving our problems."

During the session, held in the Hall of the Americas of OAS headquarters in Washington, DC, President Martinelli said Member States "must begin to contribute more to ensure this organization is not lacking resources, that it is able to provide more services to all its members, so we do not come here only when there is a problem." In this sense, he expressed his Government’s willingness to increase its financial contributions to the institution and urged other Member States to do so as well.

The Panamanian leader highlighted the work of facilitation and dialogue that characterizes the organization, stating that the OAS “is a deliberative body where we can resolve all our differences in a civilized manner without resorting to a war," and added that within the organization “Latin America, the Caribbean, the United States and Canada have unique opportunities, but must provide the resources to make it more prominent and more dynamic."

In his speech, President Martinelli also advocated for the prompt reincorporation of Honduras to the OAS and stressed the need to further the dialogue in that direction. "I'm sure everyone will welcome our Honduran brothers with open arms and hopefully never again, not in Honduras or any other country in the region will again have the painful need to do what was done with Honduras," he said.

Referring to the issue of citizen security, central theme of the XLI General Assembly to be held in El Salvador this June, the President of Panama listed a number of efforts his country is undertaking to combat crime, enhance cooperation at the international level, and promote security in several areas. "Our geographical position is our greatest asset, and it can also become our greatest weakness," he said, mentioning some of the threats his country faces in this regard.

"Panama, alongside all of you, is willing to undertake that great fight so that all countries of the continent can have grater security and reduced levels of homicides, kidnappings, robberies and murders," he said, stressing the need to work together under the leadership of the hemispheric organization, particularly in combating human trafficking. "The OAS must be the forum where we join forces to stop the trafficking of people, those who have suffered desolation and death. Poor people who come to the Americas looking for a new opportunity find that it does not come to them," he concluded.

President Martinelli was welcomed by the Assistant Secretary General of the OAS, Ambassador Albert R. Ramdin, who recalled that 34 years ago, in the same Hall of the Americas, the Governments of Panama and the United States signed the Treaties for gradually transferring sovereignty of the Panama Canal to the people of that nation, an event he described as “an example to the American continent, and to the world, of the extraordinary power of dialogue, good will, and cooperation among countries for the peaceful solution of controversies.”

In this sense, he welcomed the recent launch of the Regional Security Operations Center of the countries of the Central American Integration System (SICA) in Panama, calling it “an important achievement” that seeks to promote better coordination among the members of SICA in their fight against international organized crime. He also highlighted the launch of a Humanitarian Logistics Center to coordinate joint actions in facing regional exposure to natural phenomena. “Through the years and more recently, Panama’s essential vocation of service has been transferred to areas such as security and natural disasters, issues that require close regional and hemispheric collaboration,” he said.

Ambassador Ramdin also mentioned the financial support the Government of Panama provided for humanitarian aid in Haiti after the earthquake in 2010, and for the OAS-CARICOM Electoral Observation Mission to the Caribbean country, and he added that “these efforts by Panama to unite and serve as a bridge go hand in hand with the objectives of this Organization in promoting democracy, human rights, security, and integral development for the benefit of the peoples of the Americas.”

For her part, the Permanent Representative of Grenada to the OAS and Chair of the Permanent Council, Ambassador Gillian M.S. Bristol, paid tribute to the Panamanian people, who “have shown ample proof of their firm commitment to democracy, peace, hemispheric solidarity, and to human rights,” she said. “We pay tribute to their contribution to the political, economic, and social development of our continent.”

The Grenadian diplomat recalled that at the OAS “we appreciate and recognize the ongoing commitment of Panama with the values, objectives, and tasks of this Organization, in the words of its national motto, ‘for the benefit of the world.’”

A gallery of photos of the event is available here.

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

Reference: E-644/11