MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Insulza promises to make OAS effective and global

Chilean Socialist Jose Miguel Insulza took office Thursday as Secretary General of the Organization of American States, OAS, one of the oldest hemispheric associations but also considered in Washington circles as one of the most ineffectual and discredited.

"Today, we begin a new phase in our common hemispheric interest" said Mr. Insulza in his opening speech after being sworn in. He called on member states to "dream together and give the organization the political relevance that we all yearn for, and that the peoples of the Americas deserve".

Mr. Insulza until last week Chile's Interior minister underlined the significance of having OAS monitor human rights in the region, but he added that "if we aspire to have a human rights operative system, it's essential to guarantee the necessary resources for the completion of these noble objectives".

OAS is extremely short of cash because several of the 34 member countries are in arrears, and the organization is accused of having an over bloated bureaucracy.

Mr. Insulza identified as his main task converting OAS into an organization that ceases to be considered "second rate and ineffective". "The main challenge is to work so that the OAS is less discredited and second rate, which also means involvement in global issues".

However the task promises to be "difficult, complex and misunderstood", admitted Mr. Insulza who faces two immediate crisis situations, collecting arrears, (OAS has an operational deficit of 7 million US dollars and sufficient funds for only two months), plus the highly sensitive issue of democratic stability and governance in Bolivia which if not addressed could end with the splintering of the country.

Other hot areas include Haiti, (with UN peace troops trying to set the country back on track), Ecuador, where the president was recently ousted and consolidation of the peace process in guerrilla torn Colombia.

The OAS Secretary General post was vacant since the end of last year when former Costa Rica president Miguel Angel Rodriguez resigned following accusations of corruption. He is currently under house arrest in San Jose de Costa Rica.

Mr. Insulza nomination process has also been complicated. It was made possible after former El Salvador president Francisco Flores withdrew his name and Mexican candidate Foreign Affairs minister Luis Ernesto Derbez dropped out, following direct and strong lobbying from US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Mr. Insulza and Mr. Derbez actually tied in 17 votes during the first round of voting last April 11. In the final vote cast last May 2, Mr. Insulza was unable to be proclaimed unanimously as is OAS tradition.

Nevertheless he managed 31 votes out of 34. Bolivia with a long standing border dispute with Chile voted blank, and Peru and Mexico abstained.

According to the Washington based Council of Hemispheric Affairs, United States pays for 60% of OAS budget and exerts significant influence in the organization which "helps to protect regional interests".