MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Bush and Insulza coordinate OAS assembly

One of the first activities of the newly nominated Organization of American States (OAS) Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza was to visit United States President George W. Bush in the White House to discuss ways of strengthening democracy and promoting development in Latin America.

According to White House sources during the strictly private half-hour meeting Tuesday morning Mr. Bush and Mr. Insulza also spoke about the coming OAS General Assembly of Foreign Affairs ministers in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, next June 5-7, which the president is scheduled to address.

The meeting will be headed by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice who played a crucial role in the nomination of Mr. Insulza as OAS Secretary General.

In his June 6 speech Mr. Bush is expected to urge the US Congress to ratify the Central America and Dominican Republic free trade agreement which is currently stalled by opposition Democrats backed by labour unions who fear further loss of jobs.

The Bush administration considers the agreement essential for promoting development in the area through free trade, as well as political stability and US hemispheric security.

Among the first challenges for incoming Mr. Insulza is a US proposal to create a Democracy Monitoring Committee and the Posadas Carriles case, a former anti communist CIA agent currently arrested in Texas but who is claimed by Venezuela and Cuba for master minding the bombing of a commercial aircraft killing 76 people.

A delegation from the Venezuelan national assembly this week is scheduled to meet Mr. Insulza and US Congress members demanding the extradition of the Venezuelan justice fugitive.