Caribbean Resists Us Pressure at Historic Oas Elections

Summary

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On the one hand, most of the Caribbean and the larger South American nations like Brazil, Argentina and Venezuela voted to support Chilean Interior Minister Jose Miguel Insulza. On the other, the US, Canada, the majority of the Central American nations and a few of the pro-US South American states like Colombia lined up behind Mexican Foreign Minister, Luis Ernesto Derbez.

The Caribbean had made its position clear up to two weeks previous to the elections that most of the 15-nation grouping, Belize and St. Vincent apart, was going after the left-leaning Chilean delegate. At the time, former El Salvador President Francisco Flores was also in the race, and neither he nor Derbez could have counted on more than eight or nine votes.

"The way the voting went meant that both countries put up excellent candidates, but I see nothing wrong with the Caribbean putting up its own candidate in the future," said former St. Vincent US and OAS Ambassador Kingsley Layne.

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Caribbean Resists Us Pressure at Historic Oas Elections

For the first time in the history of the Washington D.C.-based Organization of American States (OAS) a candidate backed by the US was not elected to ...

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