MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

“Condy” Rice in the middle of OAS post courting

United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, “Condy”, visit this week to Chile for a conference on democracy is anticipated to become a lobbying competition for the election of Organization of American States Secretary General, a strongly disputed post which has virtually split the hemisphere.

Although the conference in Santiago was in the agenda since last year, Ms. Rice will be arriving three days before the crucial vote scheduled in Washington on May 2.

Last April 11, Mr. Insulza and Mexican hopeful Luis Ernesto Derbez tied five times with 17 votes and a second round was agreed for next May 2. The winning candidate needs 18 votes out of OAS 34 members. Mercosur, Venezuela and much of the Caribbean supported the Chilean candidate while Washington, Canada and Central America voted for Mr. Derbez.

Since then both countries have been involved in intense lobbying in the hemisphere.

Chilean president Ricardo Lagos during a quick visit to Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela has confirmed the support of Mercosur and Brazilian president Lula da Silva's strong leverage in the region. Colombia which supported Mexico is willing to change its vote for a consensus candidate and Venezuelan president promised President Lagos to cool its aggressive language towards Washington and has denied he ever mentioned the election was a "north vs south" confrontation.

Meantime the Caribbean Community has confirmed the support of its country members to Mr. Insulza.

Edward Carrington, Caricom Secretary General and Guyana's Foreign Secretary Rudy Insanally said that there has been no vote changing, "our policy remains the same".

Meantime Paraguay which originally supported Mexico according to Chilean diplomacy will be voting for Mr. Insulza and so will Panama.

Furthermore the Central American block, apparently this time will follow Nicaragua's candidate, a late entry, which is possible when there's a stalemate vote and so taking votes from Mexico.

Chilean diplomatic sources also indicate that in spite of Washington's support for Mr. Derbez, they will not campaign "against" Mr. Insulza.

So if the numbers are correct and with only a week left, the Mexican candidate is in a complicated spot. However on April 11 Chilean diplomacy was certain that their candidate had the sufficient votes and Mexico's Derbez spoiled the party.