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STATES SHOW NEW INDEPENDENCE AT OAS GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Article Excerpt
The 35th General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) opened in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, June 5 with a diplomatic confrontation occasioned by a US proposal for a "pre-emptive democratic intervention" agenda for the hemispheric organization. The proposal called for intervention without the consent of the country in question. This was the first meeting presided over by newly elected Secretary-General Jose Miguel Insulza (see NotiSur, 2005-05-05), and his first opportunity to mediate an issue brought on by the same new willingness on the part of many member states to stand up to US domination that won him election to his post.

The disagreement began with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's statement at the opening of the meeting. "Together, we must insist that leaders who are elected democratically have a responsibility to govern democratically," said Rice. "Governments that fail to meet this crucial standard must be accountable to the OAS."

The statement brought sharp reaction, initially from Venezuela and Brazil. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Ali Rodriguez said the OAS should not "carry out evaluations of the status of democracy" in member states. Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim agreed, saying, "Democracy cannot be imposed."

Rice swings and misses; Insulza calls strike two

Rice's push was widely interpreted as an attempt, her second, to isolate Venezuela. Her first attempt, during a recent swing through four Latin American countries, failed as she was repeatedly rebuffed on the issue (see NotiSur, 2005-05-13). Rice was thought by many observers to be on...

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