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 News from Around the Americas | June 2005 
Derbez: OAS Needs Teeth
 José Carreño - El Universal
| | Foreign Relations Secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez |
Fort Lauderdale, Florida - Foreign Relations Secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez on Tuesday called for fundamental changes in the Organization of American States (OAS) that would give the hemispheric body more influence in the region.
"The problem with the OAS is that it doesn't have the weight and the tools needed to act in a crisis situation and be taken seriously," Derbez said in an interview with EL UNIVERSAL at the Fort Lauderdale Convention Center where the body's General Assembly is taking place.
Referring to the ongoing crisis in Bolivia, where President Carlos Mesa resigned on Monday during massive demonstrations in favor of nationalizing the country's lucrative natural gas industry, Derbez said the OAS did too little to prevent the showdown.
The OAS "should have a structure that allows it to intervene with dialogue so that solutions could be reached before we got to this point in Bolivia," he said.
Last April, Derbez was in a heated competition with Chilean Foreign Minister José Miguel Insulza for the Secretary General position at the OAS. Derbez eventually withdrew from the race after his regional support began to flounder.
"I hope that José Miguel Insulza can truly reach conclusions that give the organization more effectiveness," he said.
He acknowledged that relations with Chile have suffered as a result of the contest to head the OAS.
"The OAS allowed us to see that we didn't have as much in common as we thought before," Derbez said.
He also referred to Mexican relations with Brazil as one of "friendly competition" since both nations compete for exports to rich nations. He said the Mexican government does not agree with a Brazilian proposal to create a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council for the South American nation. Mexico favors a rotating regional seat on the council, but Derbez said "this would not be the defining topic of our relationship."
Derbez added the Fox administration would continue its ongoing efforts to pressure the United States towards some kind of migration agreement.
"We are fundamentally demanding that the United States protect and guarantee migrants rights," Derbez said.
He added that U.S. efforts to include Mexico within a "security perimeter" in the fight against terrorism should also include Central American nations and help them fight their problem with violent crime gangs such as the Mara Salvatrucha. |
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