OAS Secretary on Paraguay: it was not a coup.
Secretary-General of the Organization of American States, José Miguel Insulza (center), stated that there is absolute economic and political normality in the government of Federico Franco (left), and recommends not applying retaliatory measures against Lugo's impeachment; the decision was postponed to the next meeting, which has not yet been scheduled.
247 – The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, decided to support, and not retaliate against, the new Paraguayan government, led by President Federico Franco. In a meeting this Tuesday with the organization's member countries in Washington, D.C., Insulza read a document confirming that there is "normality" in the Franco government and recommended that no sanctions be applied against the country in order to "avoid unnecessary suffering."
The meeting is an extraordinary gathering held to assess the Secretary-General's trip to Asunción last week. Insulza led a mission to evaluate the political situation in Paraguay, where he met with Fernando Lugo and Federico Franco. In the Paraguayan capital, he was accompanied by representatives from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Honduras, and Haiti.
Paraguayan authorities were optimistic about an OAS decision that would consider the removal of Fernando Lugo a coup d'état. The expectation was that sanctions would be applied or even Paraguay's exclusion from the Organization. Last week, Lugo stated that his downfall was the product of a "summary" process that ignored his "human," "civic," and "constitutional" rights.
During his speech, Insulza recalled that on the day he was removed from the presidency, June 22nd, Fernando Lugo accepted the decision of the process taking place in Congress and formally resigned from office. The Paraguayan ambassador to the OAS, Hugo Saguier Caballero, asked that the Organization not delay its final decision, which will be based on Insulza's report, and that there be no more unfair actions, but rather "that justice be done".
Decision postponed
The member countries agreed to analyze the OAS secretary's report with their foreign ministries. Only then, in a new meeting, will the organization announce its decision on replacing the government in Paraguay. Delegations such as those from Venezuela and Nicaragua have already expressed questions about the document prepared by Insulza and insisted on rejecting the government of Federico Franco.