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Kerry to lead US delegation to OAS Assembly in Guatemala
Kerry to lead US delegation to OAS Assembly in Guatemala
Washington, May 31 (Prensa Latina) Secretary of State, John Kerry, will lead the US delegation to the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) which will take place in Guatemala next week, an official source informed today.
In his first visit to the region, the chief. diplomat of Washington will arrive in Antigua (Guatemala) on June 4 for the annual meeting of the foreign ministers of the area, said Jen Psaki, the spokesman for the State Department in a statement.
A US functionary has not attended these meetings since 2010 when Secretary Hillary Clinton went to Lima, Peru.
...
Recently President Barack Obama traveled to Costa Rica to meet with Central American leaders and currently Vice President Joseph Biden is on tour in Brazil, Colombia and Trinidad and Tobago.
http://www.prensa-latina.cu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1464921&Itemid=9
Washington, May 31 (Prensa Latina) Secretary of State, John Kerry, will lead the US delegation to the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) which will take place in Guatemala next week, an official source informed today.
In his first visit to the region, the chief. diplomat of Washington will arrive in Antigua (Guatemala) on June 4 for the annual meeting of the foreign ministers of the area, said Jen Psaki, the spokesman for the State Department in a statement.
A US functionary has not attended these meetings since 2010 when Secretary Hillary Clinton went to Lima, Peru.
...
Recently President Barack Obama traveled to Costa Rica to meet with Central American leaders and currently Vice President Joseph Biden is on tour in Brazil, Colombia and Trinidad and Tobago.
http://www.prensa-latina.cu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1464921&Itemid=9
According to the same right wing that plundered our own country, outsourced our jobs, puts profit over everything:
This is good news. Congress and the Obama Administration should pay more attention to this trade bloc—one that is considerably more pragmatic and less ideological than others in the region (e.g., La Alianza Boliviariana para América (ALBA), La Comunidad de Estados Latinoamericanos y Caribeños (CELAC), and La Unión de Naciones Sudamericanas (UNASUR)—all of them Chavista).
http://blog.heritage.org/2013/05/28/pacific-alliance-decreasing-trade-barriers-and-increasing-economic-growth/
http://blog.heritage.org/2013/05/28/pacific-alliance-decreasing-trade-barriers-and-increasing-economic-growth/
Guatemala and Costa Rica moving closer to joining Pacific Alliance
http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/05/23/3413506/costa-rica-and-guatemala-move.html
May 23 2013 - Pacific Alliance Meeting Looks to China As America Doesn't Bother To Show Up
May 23 2013 4:42 PM
The presidents of Mexico, Colombia, Chile and Peru met on Thursday in Cali, Colombia, for the seventh Pacific Alliance meeting to discuss the economic integration of Latin America. The four fastest-growing economies in the region agreed to liberalize 90 percent of their transactions, and open the way to a more fruitful relationship with Asian markets.
The four alliance members, which between them represent half of the region's total exports, are setting their sights on China as their next big trade partner. The meeting, which included six other Latin American countries as well as three from outside the continent, did not have the United States as an attendee -- a significant absence from a country that is currently Latin America's main export market.
The countries of the Pacific Alliance, which was established in June 2012, represent together 35 percent of the region’s GDP. The economic venture also means a change in the geopolitics of the region, reports Spanish newspaper El País, after the stagnation of Mercosur, an older economic alliance that includes Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina and Venezuela.
...
The alliance has been open to receiving new members, but as they made clear in a meeting of their diplomats in Washington on May 21, two requirements must be met. First, the aspiring member must adhere to the charter of the alliance, which stresses respect for democracy; second, the new country needs to have free trade agreements with the other alliance members before becoming a full member. Costa Rica fulfilled this last requirement Thursday, when President Laura Chinchilla signed the agreement with Colombia, the only country with which it did not have previous deals.
During the Washington meeting, the alliance stressed that it is an economic bloc, not a political forum, reported Hispanic website VOXXI. The statement was meant to allude to the possibility that countries with a less than spotless political record might seek membership, namely Venezuela.
...
May 23 2013 4:42 PM
The presidents of Mexico, Colombia, Chile and Peru met on Thursday in Cali, Colombia, for the seventh Pacific Alliance meeting to discuss the economic integration of Latin America. The four fastest-growing economies in the region agreed to liberalize 90 percent of their transactions, and open the way to a more fruitful relationship with Asian markets.
The four alliance members, which between them represent half of the region's total exports, are setting their sights on China as their next big trade partner. The meeting, which included six other Latin American countries as well as three from outside the continent, did not have the United States as an attendee -- a significant absence from a country that is currently Latin America's main export market.
The countries of the Pacific Alliance, which was established in June 2012, represent together 35 percent of the region’s GDP. The economic venture also means a change in the geopolitics of the region, reports Spanish newspaper El País, after the stagnation of Mercosur, an older economic alliance that includes Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina and Venezuela.
...
The alliance has been open to receiving new members, but as they made clear in a meeting of their diplomats in Washington on May 21, two requirements must be met. First, the aspiring member must adhere to the charter of the alliance, which stresses respect for democracy; second, the new country needs to have free trade agreements with the other alliance members before becoming a full member. Costa Rica fulfilled this last requirement Thursday, when President Laura Chinchilla signed the agreement with Colombia, the only country with which it did not have previous deals.
During the Washington meeting, the alliance stressed that it is an economic bloc, not a political forum, reported Hispanic website VOXXI. The statement was meant to allude to the possibility that countries with a less than spotless political record might seek membership, namely Venezuela.
...
We'll see how this goes. Last time it didn't go so well for the US. Everyone basically told the US to fuck off. This time, who knows.
OAS Meeting Begins in Peru Amid Tensions Over Status of Honduras
June 7, 2010 7:00 am
...
One of the main underlying tensions at the OAS meeting will be the question of whether to allow Honduras back into the organization, after it was ousted following that usurped then-President Manuel Zelaya. After the election of current Honduran President Porfirio Lobo, Clinton said the Obama administration favors permitting Honduras back into the OAS.
“President Lobo has done everything he has said he would do,” Clinton told reporters Sunday, according to The Associated Press. “He has been very committed to pursuing a policy of reintegration.”
Clinton will face opposition to her stance on Honduras, especially from Brazil, Venezuela and Nicaragua.
Ties have recently been strained between the U.S. and Brazil, especially concerning the issue of Iran.... The Obama administration has faced some difficulties in Latin America as the early promises close cooperation, easing treatment toward Cuba and immigration reform have not yet materialized.
...
http://latindispatch.com/2010/06/07/oas-meeting-begins-in-peru-amid-tensions-over-status-of-honduras/
June 7, 2010 7:00 am
...
One of the main underlying tensions at the OAS meeting will be the question of whether to allow Honduras back into the organization, after it was ousted following that usurped then-President Manuel Zelaya. After the election of current Honduran President Porfirio Lobo, Clinton said the Obama administration favors permitting Honduras back into the OAS.
“President Lobo has done everything he has said he would do,” Clinton told reporters Sunday, according to The Associated Press. “He has been very committed to pursuing a policy of reintegration.”
Clinton will face opposition to her stance on Honduras, especially from Brazil, Venezuela and Nicaragua.
Ties have recently been strained between the U.S. and Brazil, especially concerning the issue of Iran.... The Obama administration has faced some difficulties in Latin America as the early promises close cooperation, easing treatment toward Cuba and immigration reform have not yet materialized.
...
http://latindispatch.com/2010/06/07/oas-meeting-begins-in-peru-amid-tensions-over-status-of-honduras/
At an OAS meeting Monday in Lima, Peru, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton urged allowing Honduras to rejoin, saying the new president, Porfirio Lobo, has shown "strong and consistent commitment to democratic governance and constitutional order."
But a majority of ministers opposed even adding the question of Honduras to the agenda.
The Obama administration had joined with the OAS last year in ousting Honduras after then-President Manuel Zelaya was forced out of the country, but it shifted course after new elections were held, arguing that it was time to move on.
...
Clinton has invested heavily in building ties with Latin America, making her second trip to the region this year. But the spat over Honduras -- as well as anger over Arizona's new immigration law and U.S. policy toward Cuba -- has made progress difficult.
...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/07/AR2010060704763.html
But a majority of ministers opposed even adding the question of Honduras to the agenda.
The Obama administration had joined with the OAS last year in ousting Honduras after then-President Manuel Zelaya was forced out of the country, but it shifted course after new elections were held, arguing that it was time to move on.
...
Clinton has invested heavily in building ties with Latin America, making her second trip to the region this year. But the spat over Honduras -- as well as anger over Arizona's new immigration law and U.S. policy toward Cuba -- has made progress difficult.
...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/07/AR2010060704763.html
Of course, there's a history of hypocrisy, coups, plundering, pushing countries around and interference there that's not lost on Latin America
No OAS deal over Cuba says Clinton
Western Hemispheric countries could not reach a deal over readmitting Cuba to the Organization of American States (OAS) claimed U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Before departing the OAS summit in Honduras, Clinton said that the “Obama administration is obviously pretty much by itself” in terms of how to allow Cuba to return. Though she admitted that some countries were fine with the U.S. plan, others were reluctant to give in to preconditions on human rights, political prisoners, and elections.
One of the most vocal leaders backing Cuba’s readmission was Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega who said the 1962 expulsion of Cuba was "imposed by tyrants." His proposal called for readmitting Cuba sans clauses while two other plans were presented seeking a compromise. The lack of consensus may create the real possibility that Cuba is let in to the OAS without conditions.
...
http://ourlatinamerica.blogspot.com/2009/06/no-oas-deal-over-cuba-says-clinton.html
Western Hemispheric countries could not reach a deal over readmitting Cuba to the Organization of American States (OAS) claimed U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Before departing the OAS summit in Honduras, Clinton said that the “Obama administration is obviously pretty much by itself” in terms of how to allow Cuba to return. Though she admitted that some countries were fine with the U.S. plan, others were reluctant to give in to preconditions on human rights, political prisoners, and elections.
One of the most vocal leaders backing Cuba’s readmission was Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega who said the 1962 expulsion of Cuba was "imposed by tyrants." His proposal called for readmitting Cuba sans clauses while two other plans were presented seeking a compromise. The lack of consensus may create the real possibility that Cuba is let in to the OAS without conditions.
...
http://ourlatinamerica.blogspot.com/2009/06/no-oas-deal-over-cuba-says-clinton.html
Peru's President walks out on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
Lima - It was to be a press conference with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Peru's President Alan Garcia in Lima. But it ended abruptly with Clinton left sitting alone at the table, after Garcia walked out.
It happened in Lima Peru at the meeting of the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS), often called the Western Hemisphere's premier multilateral organization.
...
Secretary of State Clinton walked into the hall with Peruvian President Alan Garcia. She sat down on the chair where the American flag was placed, along with a blue folder for her prepared remarks.
Garcia, however, did not sit, but remained standing at the side of table where he gave a lengthy statement in Spanish. He then walked quickly out of the room, leaving Clinton alone at the table.
As frantic attempts were made to translate Garcia's statement, his aides rushed around, removing Garcia's chair and microphone. Clinton remained seated with a calm look on her face.
...
http://digitaljournal.com/article/293125
Lima - It was to be a press conference with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Peru's President Alan Garcia in Lima. But it ended abruptly with Clinton left sitting alone at the table, after Garcia walked out.
It happened in Lima Peru at the meeting of the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS), often called the Western Hemisphere's premier multilateral organization.
...
Secretary of State Clinton walked into the hall with Peruvian President Alan Garcia. She sat down on the chair where the American flag was placed, along with a blue folder for her prepared remarks.
Garcia, however, did not sit, but remained standing at the side of table where he gave a lengthy statement in Spanish. He then walked quickly out of the room, leaving Clinton alone at the table.
As frantic attempts were made to translate Garcia's statement, his aides rushed around, removing Garcia's chair and microphone. Clinton remained seated with a calm look on her face.
...
http://digitaljournal.com/article/293125
A perspective from the other side, with my observation of how petty the US looks for not attending other OAS sessions that take place in countries we don't like and have agenda items we don't like
The Fate of OAS to be Decided in 2013: Overhaul or Dissolution
Nil NIKANDROV | 15.06.2012 | 00:00
The 42 session of the Organization of American States (OAS) General Assembly was to be focused on food security. But it wasn’t the case: the agenda was dominated by other burning issues, the ones the permanent OAS behind the scenes supervisor - the US State Department – tried to neutralize and silence. The forum took place in Cochabamba, Bolivia, the “populist government” of President Evo Morales, an Indian by origin, was the receiving party.
The Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (Alianza Bolivariana para los Pueblos de Nuestra América - or ALBA) had accumulated a real strong potential to reject the OAS, so the most sharp speeches were be expected. Not once the ALBA states have said the OAS bureaucracy acted as told by the Empire, it took decisions meeting its interests while ignoring important initiatives of the Latin America and the Caribbean countries. But the most unacceptable thing is using the organization to exert pressure on the member states that refuse to be Washington’s puppets.
Before the General Assembly’s session started it had come under harsh criticism by President Hugo Chavez speaking in Caracas. He called the organization “worn and archaic”, serving the interests of the USA and ignoring the idea of Latin America’s integration. The Venezuelan leader spoke for the organization’s reform, he said: “if it doesn’t happen we’ll eliminate the OAS”. The President of Ecuador Rafael Correa came personally to take part in the forum, he demanded comprehensive reshaping of the organization and sound thrashing of the bureaucrats enjoying warm places in the OAS structures.
It’s understandable the US State Secretary Hillary Clinton had no wish to be in the epicenter of “Latin American revolt”, so she refused to attend (giving no intelligible explanation). The OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza said she had “more important things to do”. How should it be understood? Does it mean working out joint approaches to tackling the problems of the Western Hemisphere is not on the US State Department’s priority list? Or whatever happens to the South of Rio Grande it’s not of special importance for Washington? The underlying message of Insulza, expressed with irritation, was clear: the State Department set him up again. He’d have to fend for himself. Roberta S. Jacobson, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, has no authority whatsoever. Before the US presidential elections Barack Obama wants no public confrontations on the “Latin American stage”. The opposing Republicans will no doubt use the “rebellious mood” to their advantage and say the Democrats lost Latin America giving away one position after another to the “populists” headed by Hugo Chavez and the Castro brothers.
...
More of this article here: http://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2012/06/15/fate-oas-to-be-decided-in-2013-overhaul-or-dissolution.html
Nil NIKANDROV | 15.06.2012 | 00:00
The 42 session of the Organization of American States (OAS) General Assembly was to be focused on food security. But it wasn’t the case: the agenda was dominated by other burning issues, the ones the permanent OAS behind the scenes supervisor - the US State Department – tried to neutralize and silence. The forum took place in Cochabamba, Bolivia, the “populist government” of President Evo Morales, an Indian by origin, was the receiving party.
The Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (Alianza Bolivariana para los Pueblos de Nuestra América - or ALBA) had accumulated a real strong potential to reject the OAS, so the most sharp speeches were be expected. Not once the ALBA states have said the OAS bureaucracy acted as told by the Empire, it took decisions meeting its interests while ignoring important initiatives of the Latin America and the Caribbean countries. But the most unacceptable thing is using the organization to exert pressure on the member states that refuse to be Washington’s puppets.
Before the General Assembly’s session started it had come under harsh criticism by President Hugo Chavez speaking in Caracas. He called the organization “worn and archaic”, serving the interests of the USA and ignoring the idea of Latin America’s integration. The Venezuelan leader spoke for the organization’s reform, he said: “if it doesn’t happen we’ll eliminate the OAS”. The President of Ecuador Rafael Correa came personally to take part in the forum, he demanded comprehensive reshaping of the organization and sound thrashing of the bureaucrats enjoying warm places in the OAS structures.
It’s understandable the US State Secretary Hillary Clinton had no wish to be in the epicenter of “Latin American revolt”, so she refused to attend (giving no intelligible explanation). The OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza said she had “more important things to do”. How should it be understood? Does it mean working out joint approaches to tackling the problems of the Western Hemisphere is not on the US State Department’s priority list? Or whatever happens to the South of Rio Grande it’s not of special importance for Washington? The underlying message of Insulza, expressed with irritation, was clear: the State Department set him up again. He’d have to fend for himself. Roberta S. Jacobson, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, has no authority whatsoever. Before the US presidential elections Barack Obama wants no public confrontations on the “Latin American stage”. The opposing Republicans will no doubt use the “rebellious mood” to their advantage and say the Democrats lost Latin America giving away one position after another to the “populists” headed by Hugo Chavez and the Castro brothers.
...
More of this article here: http://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2012/06/15/fate-oas-to-be-decided-in-2013-overhaul-or-dissolution.html
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