Protocolary meeting

CONSEJO PERMANENTE DE LA ORGANIZACIÓN DE LOS ESTADOS AMERICANOS

ACTA DE LA SESIÓN PROTOCOLAR CELEBRADA EL

17 DE ENERO DE 2020

Nómina de los miembros que asistieron a la sesión

En la ciudad de Washington, D. C., a las once de la mañana del viernes 17 de enero de 2020, celebró sesión protocolar el Consejo Permanente de la Organización de los Estados Americanos con el objeto de recibir al Secretario de Estado de los Estados Unidos, excelentísimo señor Michael R. Pompeo. Presidió la sesión el Embajador Riyad Insanally, Representante Permanente de Guyana y Presidente del Consejo Permanente.

Asistieron los siguientes miembros:

Embajador Jaime Aparicio, Representante Permanente de Bolivia y Vicepresidente del Consejo Permanente

Embajadora Elisa Ruiz Díaz Bareiro, Representante Permanente del Paraguay

Embajador Warren Everson Hull, Representante Permanente de San Kitts y Nevis

Embajador Anthony Phillips-Spencer, Representante Permanente de Trinidad y Tobago

Embajadora Audrey Marks, Representante Permanente de Jamaica

Embajador Vince Henderson, Representante Permanente del Commonwealth de Dominica

Embajadora Lou-Anne Gilchrist, Representante Permanente de San Vicente y las Granadinas

Embajador Anton E. Edmunds, Representante Permanente de Santa Lucía

Embajadora Niermala Bradising, Representante Permanente de Suriname

Embajador Sidney Collie, Representante Permanente del Commonwealth de las Bahamas

Embajador Carlos Trujillo, Representante Permanente de los Estados Unidos

Embajador Hernán Salinas Burgos, Representante Permanente de Chile

Embajador Fernando Simas Magalhães, Representante Permanente del Brasil

Embajadora Rita Claverie de Sciolli, Representante Permanente de Guatemala

Embajador Alejandro Ordóñez Maldonado, Representante Permanente de Colombia

Embajador Carlos Alberto Játiva Naranjo, Representante Permanente del Ecuador

Embajador Noel Lynch, Representante Permanente de Barbados

Embajadora Montserrat Solano Carboni, Representante Permanente de Costa Rica

Embajadora Yolande Yvonne Smith, Representante Permanente de Grenada

Embajador José Manuel Boza Orozco, Representante Permanente del Perú

Embajador Gustavo Tarre Briceño, Representante Permanente de Venezuela

Embajadora Luz Elena Baños Riva, Representante Permanente de México

Embajador Hugh Adsett, Representante Permanente del Canadá

Embajadora María del Carmen Roquebert León, Representante Permanente de Panamá

Embajador Josué Fiallo Billini, Representante Permanente de la República Dominicana

Embajador Daniel Raimondi, Representante Permanente de la Argentina

Embajadora María Lorena Sol De Pool, Representante Permanente de El Salvador

Embajador Luis Alvarado, Representante Interino de Nicaragua

Embajador León Charles, Representante Interino de Haití

Embajador Luis Cordero, Representante Interino de Honduras

Ministro Fernando Sotelo, Representante Interino del Uruguay

Ministra Consejera Lesley Dowridge-Collins, Representante Alterna de Guyana

Consejera Gillian Joseph, Representante Alterna de Antigua y Barbuda

Ministra Consejera Laura Frampton, Representante Alterna de Belize

Estuvieron también presentes el Secretario General, señor Luis Almagro Lemes y el Secretario General Adjunto, Embajador Nestor Mendez, Presidente del Consejo Permanente.

- Aprobación del orden del día

El PRESIDENTE: Good morning.

Honorable Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of State of the United States of America, members of the Official Entourage, Ambassador Carlos Trujillo, Permanent Representative of the United States, distinguished Permanent and Alternate Representatives, Secretary General Luis Almagro, Assistant Secretary General Nestor Mendez, distinguished Permanents Observers, distinguished ladies and gentleman.

It is my honor as Permanent Representative of Guyana and Chair of the Permanent Council of the Organization of the American States to welcome the Secretary of State of the United States of America, the Honorable Michael R. Pompeo, to the House of the Americas, the main forum for political dialogue in our Hemisphere.

Mr. Secretary, the Permanent Council of the OAS is honored by your presence today. We welcome you to this hemispheric organization, where our governments pursue the shared aims of strengthening democracy, promoting and protecting human rights, and advancing integral development and multi-dimensional security.

El PRESIDENTE: In keeping with the order of business of this protocolary meeting, I am now pleased to invite the Secretary General of the Organization of the American States, Luis Almagro Lemes, to deliver remarks.

[El proyecto de orden del día contiene los siguientes puntos:

1. Palabras del Secretario General, señor Luis Almagro Lemes

2. Palabras del Presidente del Consejo Permanente, Embajador Riyad Insanally, Representante Permanente de Guyana ante la OEA

3. Palabras del Secretario de Estado de Estados Unidos, Excelentísimo señor Michael R. Pompeo]

Mr. Secretary General, you have the floor.

Palabras del Secretario General, señor Luis Almagro Lemes

El SECRETARIO GENERAL: Mr. Secretary of State, we are grateful for your leadership in the Americas, for the importance you have given to the inter-American affairs. You showed a real and genuine interest in our Hemisphere.

Mr. Secretary of State, welcome again to the Organization of American States, to this remarkable Hall of the Americas. We are practically neighbors; we work a few blocks away from each other. You are welcome anytime; this is your house and we are honored to have you here today.

The Western Hemisphere has, only until recently, reversed a trend that dictated the way inter-American affairs were conducted -from one dominated by misunderstanding and ideological rifts to one led by principles that have generated an improved level of mutual understanding.

The struggle we face today is between democracy and despotism; between those who defend and protect your democracy and human rights, such as the United States; those who simply care about these principles and take political positions against dictators and authoritarians. This is the decisive factor shaping the current geopolitical map and inter-American Affairs.

The United States has always been present in Western Hemisphere politics and diplomacy, functioning as a pillar for regional stability and peace. Yet, in the last three years, the United States has increased its role substantially in the region, becoming a central player in its democratic and human rights agenda.

Latin America and the Caribbean is no longer out of sight for the United States. One of its priorities is its involvement in the fight to democratize Venezuela and end, the longest-surviving dictatorships in Cuba.

I am proud to say that today, inter-American affairs are conducted considerably differently than in the past. We have a common vision and mutual understanding for action built on the foundational principles of the OAS of democracy and human rights. We have worked more for development than anyone before. As a Premier Political Hemisphere forum and, after 130 years of existence, we are certainly walking the talk today.

The United States is an essential and loyal partner for us in furthering this common vision and agenda of principles of freedom and human dignity in the Western Hemisphere. Like us, the United States understands the importance of achieving a Hemisphere free of dictatorships once and for all, of achieving a Hemisphere in which, we work for more rights, not fewer rights, for more and more people.

The dictatorships always polarize. The path we have ahead is not simple. It will take time, courage, and firm commitment to our work. Those enemies of democracy have endured as long as they have endured, precisely by instilling fear to its people at home and abroad, but by also intimidating the international community to the point of transforming them.

The Organization of American States and the United States are denouncing the evidence of gross human rights abuses, the crimes against humanity, and the modern-day slavery practices of the “medical missions”.

The United States, like the General Secretariat of the OAS, makes visible the crimes and human rights abuses of any regime in the treatment of political prisoners and torture. We should eradicate violence from the Continent, we should eradicate torture, we should eradicate extrajudicial executions, and we should eradicate crimes against humanity.

We should know the facts, and not succumb the false narratives and revolutionary rhetoric that belong to the last century. A dictator is a dictator. Leaders like you, Mr. Secretary of State, have always called out things by their names and have not turned away from injustices.

Defending democracy and human rights at home means defending democracy and human rights abroad. It is inconsistent and morally wrong to be once at home and another abroad. The sanctions that have been enacted against corrupt and criminal officials and against individuals with explicit ties to drug trafficking and terrorism, have been key to exert pressure on the dictatorship.

This is a good time for the OAS. An OAS that has regained its purpose and is fulfilling its mission thanks to the commitment of Member States such as the United States, who are loyal to the non-negotiable cause of democracy and human rights in the Western Hemisphere.

In this new era of the OAS, in which the trend is the majority united in favor of principles, democracy, and human rights, the United States is a vital partner. I am convinced that together we are implementing inter-American law. We are setting the example for future generations of this Hemisphere, that the OAS is a world pioneer of a multilateralism institution that delivers, that focuses on the problems of the people, and that strives to be part of the solution and never part of the problem.

Principles first, this is the path of our partnership going forward.

Thank you very much.

[Aplausos.]

El PRESIDENTE: Thank you, Mr. Secretary General

1. Palabras del Presidente del Consejo Permanente, Embajador Riyad Insanally, Representante Permanente de Guyana ante la OEA

El PRESIDENTE: Mr. Secretary of State of the United States of the America, you come to the Organization of American States as a representative of a country that is admired for its commitment to democracy, human rights, security, and development. Values that are shared entirely by the member states of the OAS.

Dialogue and multilateral diplomacy are the methods that the OAS uses to address issues of common interest within the framework of international law and the rules that govern the Organization. It is from that perspective that the Permanent Council addresses the most pressing issues of our Hemisphere.

The OAS Charter, the Inter-American Democratic Charter, and the Social Charter of the Americas, are all some of the instruments that allow the Organization to stand up to the challenges posed by democracy, security, and prosperity in the region.

Your presence before our Permanent Council is very meaningful. As a renewed demonstration of your country’s commitment to the OAS, its principles, values, mission, and the role that is called upon to play in the consolidation of democracy, peace, and prosperity in our countries, it is a commitment we all share. Not least, my own country Guyana in which, we are about to celebrate our fiftieth anniversary as Republic, continues to play its role as a responsible member of the hemispheric family of nations.

Here in the OAS, Mr. Secretary of State, the diverse peoples and cultures of North America, Latin America, and the Caribbean are all represented. We may not always agree with one another but we sit together in this -the Premier Political Forum of the Americas- to advance our common goals and resolve our differences in the best traditions of multilateral diplomacy.

In this respect, the support of the United States will continue to be instrumental in advancing integration and cooperation in the Americas and it is indispensable in promoting dialogue for the betterment and progress of all the member states of the Organization of American States.

Mr. Secretary, we thank you for your visit to the House of the Americas. Esta usted en su casa.

It is now my honor to recognize the Secretary of States of the United States of America, the Honorable Michael R. Pompeo.

Palabras del Secretario de Estado de Estados Unidos, Excelentísimo señor Michael R. Pompeo

El Secretario de Estado de Estados Unidos: Thank you. Good morning, everyone. I want to thank the Permanent Council Chair from Guyana for honoring the United States request to speak today. And I would also like to recognize the OAS’s superb Secretary General, Luis Almagro, for your excellent leadership in support of democratic values. I want to extend my regards, too, to Assistant Secretary General Nestor Mendez, as well. Good to see you this morning. And I further want to thank our Ambassador, Carlos Trujillo, for all the good work that you have done here leading the American mission at the OAS with great vision and with great energy and vigor. Thank you for that.

I’m reminded as I stand in front of this beautiful array of people and in this gorgeous place, I’m reminded that it was an American Secretary of State, a man named James Blaine, who first advocated for a closer union of the American States in the late nineteenth century. It was his vision that would become this institution, the OAS, in 1948.

It has been an incredible privilege as America’s seventieth Secretary of State to carry on my predecessor’s legacy. Almost exactly one year ago, I spoke inside this same magnificent building. It was a dreary, rainy day. But this place sits in view of some of America’s greatest monuments to liberty. They were all bright with the glow of freedom even in the gloomy day around them.

The United States had, the day before, recognized Juan Guaidó as the interim President of Venezuela. Thirteen other OAS nations had done the same. I was proud to urge every one of your countries to join us in that.

Throughout this past year, the OAS has been a vanguard for helping the Venezuelan people, they who are so downtrodden and starving because of Maduro’s cruelty. In only three months –very fast by diplomatic standards– we sat a new representative from Venezuela to the OAS, Ambassador Tarre.

We have helped bolster Juan Guaidó’s legitimacy in the international community, despite Maduro’s best efforts to undermine him.

We revived the Rio Treaty, which led to increased travel restriction on Maduro and dozens of other officials. And you all should know that more actions will be coming. Maduro certainly knows that we mean business. It is why he sought to withdraw Venezuela from this institution, the OAS. We welcomed Venezuela’s new representative before he got the chance to do so.

We mean what we say in that Charter that the previous speakers referred to. The OAS Charter says as follows: “Representative democracy is an indispensable condition for the stability, peace, and development of the region.”

This is multilateralism, nations coming together in a way that truly does work. These have been landmark actions, and in taking these actions we are returning to the spirit the OAS showed in the 1950s and 1960s. We sent election monitors to Costa Rica in 1962. Two years later, we imposed sanctions on Cuba for attempting to overthrow the democratically elected Government of Venezuela by force.

But sadly, the OAS drifted in the 1970s and 1980s. Military dictatorships in our Hemisphere colluded to prevent concerted action to support freedom. Some Latin American countries were still in the thrall to leftist ideas that produced repression for their own kind at home and stagnation in this building. And even in the early part of this century, with the OAS, many nations were more concerned with building consensus with authoritarians than actually solving problems.

But the good news is -and I am so proud of what you all have accomplished- that’s all changed. Yes, we enjoyed a resurgence of the democratic values in the ‘90s. But these days –more than ever– our values drive actions that support a Hemisphere of freedom.

As I said in Santiago last year, in 2019, people of the Americas have brought a new wave of freedom, freedom-minded governments all throughout our Hemisphere. Only, only in Cuba and Nicaragua and Venezuela do we face stains of tyranny on a great canvas of freedom in our Hemisphere.

Look at the work that we have all done together. We have rejected despotism this year, besides what we have done in Venezuela. In Nicaragua, the Permanent Council named a Commission of Member States that has investigated the Ortega regime’s killing of hundreds and made clear recommendations for the future of that country.

More recently, the OAS honored the former Bolivian government’s request to conduct an audit of the disputed election results. The probe conducted, uncovered proof of massive and systemic fraud. It helped end the violence that had broken out over the election dispute. It helped the Bolivian Congress unanimously establish a date and conditions for a new election. And it honored, importantly, it honored the Bolivian people’s courageous demand for a free and fair election, and for democracy.

These actions did not happen within the OAS by accident. It took hard work. They happened because the member states –you all– decided to use the Organization to get results. All of us, together.

They happened because we have a leader for our times as well. Secretary Almagro is fearless in guarding against authoritarian regimes. He believes in multilateralism that holds people accountable, puts new ideas on the table, and forces countries to take a position.

He restored the OAS financial health too: building the reserve fund and strengthening internal financial controls. This is crucial to making the OAS effective in promoting prosperity throughout the region.

Just a handful of years ago, the U.S. Congress –not far from where we all are right now– the U.S. Congress openly entertained slashing funding for the OAS. Now Congress, America’s Congress, is more eager than ever to support what we’re doing together, because his leadership values capture the bipartisan values of freedom and of democracy. And the good financial management here too gives confidence that OAS progress will be effective, cost-effective, and transparent.

Secretary Almagro is worthy of our respect and our admiration. The heroes in the Hall of the Americas would be proud of what he has done. He is a true champion for freedom throughout our entire Hemisphere.

And his example is not just for those of us in the room. I think other leaders and other organizations –from the UN, to ASEAN, to NATO– should take note of how this institution has been run by the Secretary General, and this body has been crafted, how multilateralism that works has permeated what we all do together.

It is energetic, it is effective, it says enterprise work must achieve real results, not just process; resolutions whose words are not worth whims, but are truly a basis for joint and collective action; and institutions that take votes that are responsive to the most important issues, not exercises in finding the lowest common denominator amongst us.

Now, I know, Secretary General that you have seven children, so you have had a lot of practice building chaos –building from chaos and bringing order–. But all jokes aside, this is what multilateralism ought to be. This is what happens when it is done well. I spoke about this thirteen months ago in Brussels –I critiqued some multilateral organizations: sleepwalking elements of the international order must wake up. Wishful thinking will not restrain authoritarians in Caracas, or in Beijing, or in Tehran. The meeting rooms of Washington and Brussels are a front line, a front line all their own. Our citizens are trusting us to defend them and to defend their liberties. They deserve multilateralism that works.

Some good news right here from our own Hemisphere: we are already holding the torch. On Sunday I will leave on a trip to the region. It is only fitting that my first stop will be in Bogota, the very city where the OAS charter was forged. Our good friend, our ally Colombia –along with Brazil– has been a leader in this forum in holding the former Maduro regime accountable. This week, Colombia will build on the good work we did in Buenos Aires last summer and another counterterrorism ministerial. More than twenty nations have said, “Let’s take on the bad guys.”

I will then head off to Costa Rica, a great friend whose commitment to democracy has been clear for many decades, and we will discuss the crisis of authoritarianism right on its own border with Nicaragua.

I will then travel to Jamaica, a good friend of America. My team told me that would be a really tough duty. I will gather at an important meeting with many Caribbean leaders to discuss how we can all work together to promote our common democratic values and prosperity for all of our people.

I am looking forward to a fantastic set of meetings.

I want to end here with a thought, a thought that recalls the roots of this body’s great work throughout time.

In 1948, the OAS adopted the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man –the world’s first-ever international human rights declaration. It was a major influence on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that followed it. The OAS document reads as follows. It says:

“All men are born free and equal, in dignity and in rights, and, being endowed by nature with reason and conscience, they should conduct themselves as brothers one to another.”

It is up to each of you, it is up to each of us to protect dignity and rights. It is up to us, to conduct diplomacy as brothers and sisters of the citizens that we each represent. It is up to us, to sustain a multilateralism that truly works.

May God bless you all. May God bless the work that is done here in this magnificent place. And may God bless all of the Americas.

Thank you for being with me this morning.

[Aplausos.]

EL PRESIDENTE: Thank you Mr. Secretary.

Distinguished Representatives, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, in adjourning this protocolary session, I would like to thank you all for your attendance and request that you remain in place while the Secretary of State comes to greet you.

[Se levanta la sesión a las 11:24 a.m.]

AC03406T01

CP42558T01

ISBN 978-0-8270-7029-5