Organization Of American States

An increasingly isolated Colombia came under heavy criticism from its neighbors at an emergency Organization of American States session Tuesday for killing a top Colombian rebel leader in Ecuador last weekend. A sense of crisis has enveloped the region as diplomats worked to avoid an armed conflict that could be devastating to a continent that has successfully transitioned into a mostly democratic region after the military juntas and "dirty wars" of the 1970s and 1980s.

Even as relations remained tense between Colombia and Venezuela, there were signs Wednesday that the Andean region's most serious crisis in recent years might be easing. In Washington, the Organization of American States passed a consensus resolution that used mutually acceptable language to rebuke Colombia for having violated Ecuadorean sovereignty Saturday in a raid that killed a high-ranking rebel leader and 16 others.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's decision not to renew the license of his nation's largest and oldest television network, a frequent critic of his policies, drew a rebuke Friday from the Organization of American States. OAS Secretary-General Jose Miguel Insulza said in a statement that Chavez acted in an arbitrary manner in yanking the license of RCTV, which began operations in 1953 and has the largest viewership of any network in Venezuela.

Honduras' interim leader held out the possibility of amnesty for ousted President Manuel Zelaya once a post-coup curfew is lifted. Caretaker President Roberto Micheletti, sworn in hours after troops expelled Zelaya to Costa Rica, held firm in an interview to his position that Zelaya could not return to power under any condition. No country has recognized Micheletti as president and the U.S. and the Organization of American States have called for Zelaya to be reinstated. The interim government is holding talks with Zelaya's representatives through the mediation of Costa Rica, but the talks have resulted in little apparent progress.

Mexico's foreign minister on Friday withdrew his candidacy to head the Organization of American States, clearing the way for a Chilean backed by left-leaning South American presidents to become its next leader. The announcement by Luis Ernesto Derbez marked the second time in four weeks that a U.S.

Chilean Interior Minister Jose Miguel Insulza was elected Monday to a five-year term as secretary-general of the Organization of American States. Insulza, 62, is a lawyer and former foreign minister who spent 10 years in exile in Mexico and Italy while Chile was ruled by a military government. Insulza received 31 votes, with Mexico and Bolivia abstaining and Peru casting a blank vote. He will be sworn in May 25.

Latin American leaders are quietly resisting a Bush administration proposal to strengthen democracy in the region, saying they fear it was crafted to target Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. U.S. officials have been trying to persuade the Organization of American States to adopt what they say are standards for democratic government. Diplomats from many countries fear that it is aimed at Chavez, viewed by some as an anti-U.S. leader, and that it also could amount to an invitation for the U.S.

The raunchy seaside bar that local lore says pioneered an American institution, the wet T-shirt contest, is long gone, torn down for a five-star resort scheduled to open this year. Likewise, the throngs of vacationing, beer-chugging collegians have passed into history, though memories of this South Florida locale as the mythic spring-break destination -- a.k.a. "Fort Liquordale" -- linger.

President Bush urged Western Hemisphere nations Monday to continue their progress toward democracy, even as his administration suffered a setback in its bid to get countries to set democratic standards in the region. Addressing a meeting of the Organization of American States, Bush said the hemisphere had undergone a "dramatic" democratic transformation.

Ending a contentious two-day summit on how to fight poverty, the leaders of Latin America and Canada joined President Bush on Tuesday in pledging to "deny refuge to corrupt officials, those who corrupt them, and their assets." But the leaders rebuffed a U.S. proposal that would punish noncompliant countries by ousting them from the Organization of American States.