--- SEARCH ---
WEATHER
CHINA
INTERNATIONAL
BUSINESS
CULTURE
GOVERNMENT
SCI-TECH
ENVIRONMENT
SPORTS
LIFE
PEOPLE
TRAVEL
WEEKLY REVIEW
Film in China
War on Poverty
Learning Chinese
Learn to Cook Chinese Dishes
Exchange Rates
Hotel Service
China Calendar
Telephone and
Postal Codes


Hot Links
China Development Gateway
Chinese Embassies

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Permanent Mission of the People's Republic of China to the UN
Permanent Mission of the People's Republic of China to the United Nations Office at Geneva and other International Organizations in Switzerland
Foreign Affairs College
OAS General Assembly Adopts Final Statement

The Organization of American States (OAS) closed its three-day General Assembly meetings here in the southern US State of Florida late Tuesday by issuing a final statement that omitted the US proposal to establish a mechanism to monitor threats to democracies in the region.

Instead, the final statement asked newly-elected OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza to draw up proposals to address situations that can compromise the "democratic political process or the rule of law" in the hemisphere.

However, any proposals by the OAS chief must abide by the OAS charter which enshrines the principle of nonintervention and the right to self determination, the statement said.

The US proposal, put forward by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, called on the OAS to develop a way to assess democratic progress in the region, so it can anticipate "crises that might undermine democracy."

The proposal was immediately opposed by Venezuela as Foreign Minister Ali Rodriguez said the OAS was "not authorized to make evaluations on the state of democracy in the different countries."

Rice claimed that the proposal was to prevent the democracies in the region from slipping into authoritarian rule, but Venezuela said the proposal was aimed at meddling into the domestic affairs of other countries.

In addition to Venezuela, Brazil and Chile also stressed that any moves to strengthen democracy should not be intrusive.

The countries in the region have been skeptical of the free trade and democracy initiatives of the US President George W. Bush's administration as the US-prescribed policies of free trade and fiscal discipline have done little for the one-in-four Latin Americans living in poverty.

Moreover, the countries in the hemisphere have been reluctant to join the United States in toughening stance against Venezuela and Cuba.

(Xinhua News Agency June 8, 2005)

Bolivian President Resigns Amid Mass Protests
OAS Opens General Assembly Meetings
Bolivian Protesters Block Roads to Neighboring Countries
Bolivian President Warns of Using Force to End Unrest
Mexican FM Seeks Support from Caribbean Friends for OAS Bid
OAS Accepts China as Permanent Observer
OAS Approves Anti-Terrorism Convention
Print This Page
|
Email This Page
About Us SiteMap Feedback
Copyright © China Internet Information Center. All Rights Reserved
E-mail: webmaster@china.org.cn Tel: 86-10-68326688