MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Hillary Clinton will miss next week’s OAS General Assembly in Bolivia

The US delegation will be headed by Roberta Jackson, Under Secretary of State for Latin America

OAS secretary general Jose Miguel Insulza believes US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will miss the Organization of American States General Assembly because of “agenda problems” and not over discrepancies on the issues to the addressed.

Insulza made the statement during a meeting with journalists and regretted that Ms Clinton would be absent from the regional meeting to be held in Bolivia June 3 to 5.

“We always want all Foreign secretaries to attend but much depends also of their agendas”, said Insulza who recalled that the head of US diplomacy has to address issues such as negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program and the ongoing problems in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Clinton on Thursday takes off for an eight days tour to Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkey and therefore the US delegation to Cochabamba in Bolivia will be headed by Roberta Jackson, Assistant Secretary of State for Latin America and the US ambassador before OAS, Carmen Lomellin.

“It’s a pity she won’t be able to attend but I’m sure that the US will be very well represented by the Assistant Secretary of State”, said Insulza.

Nevertheless Insulza pointed out that there is a “discussion” in the continent not so much about “food security” but rather on “food sovereignty”, on which for some members have a different content and extension, “it’s a complicated issue”.

He added that there is consensus on the resolution text which will be sent to the General Assembly to examine by the Foreign ministers but persists a conceptual problem regarding “sovereignty over food security”, which should be debated next Monday and Tuesday in Bolivia.

Likewise is the issue of the Bolivia’s claim for an outlet to the Pacific Ocean and Argentina’s standing demand for sovereignty over the Falklands/Malvinas Islands, on which the Secretary General trusts there will be “a consensus”.

Foreign ministers are also expected to issue a statement regarding the reform of the Inter American Human Rights Committee, an issue that did not achieve consensus in the Standing Council last Friday when the resolutions to be sent to the General Assembly were voted.

Last January state members approved several recommendations to reform the Human Rights committee which some organizations and civil society members have described as attempts to limit its autonomy.