MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Hillary Clinton announces US support for Insulza’s OAS re-election

Barring any surprises on Wednesday’s vote, Insulza will be confirmer for another five years

The United States will support Chile’s Jose Miguel Insulza in his bid for another five years as head of the Organization of American States, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Monday in a letter to the OAS secretary-general.

In the letter, Clinton said that it was a “pleasure” to inform Insulza that the Barack Obama administration will support his re-election and that of the assistant secretary-general, Alberto Ramdin, of Suriname, at Wednesday’s special OAS General Assembly in Washington.

The vote of confidence by Washington comes despite the campaign against Insulza launched a month ago by certain Republican lawmakers and the editorial page of The Washington Post. Conservative pundits and lawmakers say Insulza has been insufficiently critical of the leftist governments of Venezuela and Nicaragua.

Clinton told Insulza the United States would be happy to see him and Ramdin re-elected by acclamation on Wednesday, which will likely happen provided no other member-state demands a roll-call vote.

The Chilean and Ramdin are, at the present time, the only candidates and both are virtually assured of receiving the 18 votes required to retain their posts for the 2010-2015 term.

The US vote which kept its decision until last moment is considered “most important and significant” by sources close to Secretary General Insulza. Washington’s support in spite of criticisms and differences in several occasions with the OAS and Insulza, means Washington “sees OAS as an organization where it can and must defend its regional interests”.

Last Friday Insulza had lunch with the influential Democrat Senator Christopher Dodd, who is also an expert in Latinamerica affairs and is the opinion that Washington must reinforce its multilateral policy towards the region through OAS.

In the letter Ms Clinton praised Insulza’s speech in early March when he officially presented his candidacy for a second five year mandate and proposed reforming the OAS Inter American Democratic charter so as to introduce more expedient and flexible mechanisms to prevent threats against democracy “before and not after events and conflicts”.

The Secretary of State also supports the initiative to modernize OAS making it more efficient both financially and in budget terms, plus ratifying the US full support to the Inter American Human Rights System, and the autonomy of these independent organisms from the mother organization.