MEDIA REACTION ON THE OAS SEC GEN ELECTION, APRIL

UNCLAS TEGUCIGALPA 000844

SIPDIS

FOR IIP/G/WHA AND IIP/T/ES,
FOR WHA/PDA, WHA/USOAS, AND WHA/CEN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OIIP PREL KPAO PGOV KDEM HO
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ON THE OAS SEC GEN ELECTION, APRIL
21, 2005



1. On 4/16, the San Pedro Sula-based liberal daily "Tiempo"
carried an op-ed by Tulio Mariano Gonzalez entitled "OAS:
New Winds." "The OAS candidate backed by the U.S had to
resign due to a lack of necessary votes to survive. The
attempt to unify the votes of former Salvadoran president
Francisco Flores with Luis Ernest Derbez didn't succeed in
defeating Chilean candidate Jose Miguel Insulza. The five
ties in the elections showed the loss of U.S. power in the
OAS."

"The OAS is getting close to being an open space,
transparent, and taking an initiative to stimulate the
bilateral and multilateral cooperation that should have
characterized it since its beginnings. Those moments of
blind obedience are tumbling. No matter who turns out to be
elected as Secretary General, we will be witnesses to a new
era."


2. On 4/18, the Tegucigalpa-based liberal daily "La Tribuna"
published an editorial entitled, "North-South." "After five
consecutive ties in the OAS election, it is evident that the
continent is divided."

"The Mexican candidate Derbez has even been pointed to as
`imposed by the United States,' which we know that his
candidacy was to fight for the place Francisco Flores was
taking."

"The OAS election has evidenced the fragmentation of the
hemisphere. For the Central American region, the
unfortunate part of these events is that we lost two
opportunities to have a Secretary General."

Pierce