From: sangu@igc.apc.org (David Sangurima)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.latin-america
Subject: IPS:LATIN AMERICA-Protect democracy
Date: 17 Dec 92 05:33:00 GMT
Nf-ID: #N:cdp:1473800419:000:4613
Nf-From: cdp.UUCP!sangu    Dec 16 21:33:00 1992


From: David Sangurima <sangu>
Subject: IPS:LATIN AMERICA-Protect democracy

/* Written  9:58 pm  Dec 15, 1992 by jbinder@igc.apc.org in igc:reg.samerica */
/* ---------- "IPS:LATIN AMERICA-Protect democracy" ---------- */
From: James Binder <jbinder>
Subject: IPS:LATIN AMERICA-Protect democracy

Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: LATIN AMERICA: New pact proposed to defend democracy

/embargoed/

att editors: please note that the following item is under embargo
and may not be printed or otherwise reproduced before sunday,
dec. 13.

washington, dec 13 (ips) -- almost a hundred politicians and
analysts from the united states and latin america have proposed a
new pact that would defend democracy while preventing sovereignty
from interfering with the commitment to protect human rights.

the proposed pact does not exclude armed multilateral
intervention against 'de facto' governments.

richard feinberg, president of the inter-american dialogue
group who presented a report on 'convergence and community: the
americas in 1993', said sovereignty could not go on being a
shield for groups which violate human rights.

the report, which was signed by over 90 delegates of all
sectors and ideologies of the americas, proposes a new way of
building an economic alliance within the region, protect
democracy and ensure social justice.

among the signatories were former presidents raul alfonsin of
argentina, osvaldo hurtado of ecuador, nicolas ardito barletta of
panama, julio sanguinetti of uruguay and jimmy carter of the
united states.

chile's senate president gabriel valdes, peruvian writer mario
vargas llosa, brazil's former presidential candidate luis inacio
'lula' da silva and former bolivian minister gonzalo sanchez de
lozada also signed the document.

in a press conference saturday, former colombian housing
minister rodrigo botero, who was one of the authors of the
report, said it would be difficult for any government to endorse
the suppression of sovereignty.

but he recalled that in the declaration of the organisation of
american states (oas) in santiago in 1991, the governments of the
americas said that an interruption of democratic processes in any
country gives the rest of the region certain rights to intervene.

former u.n. secretary-general javier perez de cuellar said
human rights were the responsibility of the international
community. ''the sovereignty of states should be considered under
the sovereignty of human rights,'' he stated.

but bruce babbit, former governor of arizona, said the united
states must be prepared to put limit on its own sovereignty if it
expects the same thing to be done to any country in latin
america. (more/ips)

latin america: new (2)

to discourage would-be dictators, the delegates proposed a
series of political, diplomatic, economic and military sanctions
like the denial of visas to coup leaders and suspension of a
country, where human rights are abused, from regional groups.

they also cited trade embargoes, the breaking of economic
ties, an end to military aid and the recalling of ambassadors
from countries where democratic processes have been interrupted.

to reinforce the region's economic integration, feinberg
stressed the need to ratify the north american free trade
agreement (nafta) which had been signed by canada, mexico and the
united states.

he said nafta member-states should collaborate with countries
of central america and the caribbean so they can create free
trade in a wider area, while negotiations are going on to extend
the pact throughout the whole region.

with the help of non-governmental and business groups in the
region, he said a multilateral organisation could be created to
guide and coordinate progress toward a single economic community
in the americas.

recalling that the search for solutions to the region's
widespread poverty had been almost neglected in the 1980's, he
said there was need for bigger social concensus on regional
economic reforms and an improvement of labour conditions which
would both be vital in competition with other economic blocs.

feinberg also proposed a tax reform on the rich which could be
used in a programme to help the region's poverty-stricken people
increase their productive capacity.

financial organisations like the inter-american development
bank and the world bank must give at least one-third of its loans
to help develop programmes aimed at solving poverty in the
region, the delegates said. (end/ips/trd-sp/rp/mas/cs/cir/92)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.latin-america