MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Deadline for OAS Secretary General.

Costa Rican president Abel Pacheco said he will ask for the resignation of Organization of American States (OAS) Secretary General Miguel Angel Rodriguez if he does not explain strong allegations of corruption by this Monday.

"Don Miguel, explain or resign, quickly, in a matter of hours. Don't make me ask you to resign" President Pacheco told the local press this weekend. "I'm giving him time because Costa Rica is a democratic country" added the president, although he emphatically stated that his patience "would only last until Monday".

Mr. Pacheco expressed anger over allegations that while Mr. Rodriguez was president of Costa Rica (1998-2002) he received a multi-million dollar payment from the French firm Alcatel after the company won a lucrative $149 million contract.

"I campaigned for him with the presidents of the Americas and now I've come out of this incident looking ridiculous" president Pacheco insisted.

Mr. Rodriguez who was sworn in as OAS Secretary General in mid-September said from Washington that the issue would not be discussed until he had "consulted other member countries of the Organization of American States".

However political sources in Costa Rica anticipated that the Permanent Council of the OAS would make an official announcement on the case this Monday, although the content of that announcement is still unknown.

With the apparent loss of presidential support and after having been expelled from the ruling Social Christian Unity Party (PUSC) which took him to office in 1998, Mr. Rodriguez days as OAS Secretary General seem to be coming to a quick end.