MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Countries want “more dialogue” and less imposition from US

OAS Secretary Jose Insulza

More dialogue is what countries are expecting from the administration of President Barack Obama, according to the Organization of American States, OAS, Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza, one of the special guests to the presidential taking office ceremony in Washington.

"What countries are expecting is dialogue, a relation where nobody tries to impose its terms and there's a common effort in the search of agreements and consensuses. More that a change of issue, it's a change of style", Insulza was quoted by a Chilean radio that interviewed him on Tuesday. Insulza said that the global economic and financial crisis plus the two wars in the Middle East are the legacy of the George W Bush administration and which president Obama will have to address immediately. "The Arab-Israel conflict is the basis of a great many of the problems in that area. Those are the issues which the new president will have to confront very soon and he must be clear as to his administration's positions regarding Afghanistan and Pakistan", underlined the OAS Secretary General. The Guantanamo prison is another of the issues in Obama's agenda, which "most certainly he will be closing down", added Insulza. More specifically on the US-Cuba relation Insulza said he expects an end to the trade and travel embargo on the island soon, and a normalization of travelling and remittances to relatives living in Cuba. "I would like to seen an end to the Cuban embargo, but we will be seeing it with time, as long as the right gestures are made (form both sides) and the necessary decisions are instrumented", he added. Mr. Insulza until recently a Chilean presidential hopeful, said relations between the US and Chile are normal with no problems that could strain them. "Chile's economic numbers and performance are good, and we don't have an excessive migration of Chileans to the US, so therefore there should be no difficulties", concluded Insulza.