21 September 2001U.S. Secretary of State, at OAS, Cites Need for Action Against Terrorism
(Western Hemisphere officials pledge solidarity, support) (1000) By Lauren Monsen Washington File Staff Writer Washington -- In the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, the Organization of American States' (OAS) declaration of solidarity in the fight against terrorism "is very reassuring to me, ... to President Bush, and ... to all Americans" as a broad gesture of support from the United States' friends in the Western Hemisphere, says U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. Speaking at a special session of the OAS on September 21, Powell expressed his appreciation for the invocation by the OAS of the Inter-American Treaty of Mutual Assistance (known as the Rio Treaty), which states that "an armed attack on one member is to be considered an attack on all." Since its adoption in 1947, the treaty has served as one of the pillars of the collective hemispheric defense architecture. Powell noted that "some 80 nations" were directly affected by the attack on the World Trade Center in New York, and that the citizens of 29 OAS member states were killed in the catastrophe. He offered "heartfelt thanks" for the hemisphere's "outpouring of condolence and support," while extending the deepest sympathy of the United States for the grievous losses suffered by its OAS neighbors as well. "Yet it is not tragedy, but unity, which brings us this day to the Organization of American States: unity of values, unity of interest, unity of purpose," he said, adding that "we act in concert with the rest of the civilized world" in denouncing the scourge of terrorism. "We have now invoked the Rio Treaty in recognition of the common peril we confront and in defense of the great promise for our hemisphere that we must protect," Powell said. "And I want to especially convey my country's gratitude to Brazil, for its leadership in initiating the resolution to invoke the treaty." For his part, Brazilian Minister of Foreign Affairs Celso Lafer said that "we need to break the layer of silence under which the networks of corruption and terrorism hide" and that "we need to pull together ... [for] the protection ... of our societies." Those sentiments were echoed by other representatives of OAS member states, also. "This meeting is a call to action," said Louis Straker, deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. "We think it is necessary to use any means at our disposal to prevent these acts from ever taking place again, and effective intelligence gathering is key to eliminating acts of terrorism. Our survival is at stake." Argentina has vowed to undertake, "together with the United States and the countries of the hemisphere, a clear and decisive action against international terrorism," said Argentine Minister of Foreign Relations Adalberto Rodriguez Giavarini. "This is our commitment." "Our support [in the global effort against terrorism is] without question and our solidarity [is] without end," said Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs John Manley. "There can be no cracks in our defense, no rifts to exploit, no vulnerabilities to embolden those who use fear as a political tool." Mexican Foreign Minister Jorge Castañeda assailed what he called "these abominable acts of terrorism" and promised his government's full cooperation on a variety of fronts in the anti-terrorism struggle. In a formal statement, Colombian Foreign Minister Guillermo Fernandez de Soto strongly condemned the September 11 attacks and described his own country's long-running battle to rid itself of guerrilla forces. Colombia, he indicated, will be firm and steadfast in supporting both regional and worldwide efforts to eradicate terrorism. Janet Bostwick, the Bahamas' minister of foreign affairs, urged the hemisphere's leaders to present a "united response" to the terrorists' "savage attack against humanity, civilization, democracy [and] freedom." Speaking on behalf of the Caribbean political and trading entity known as CARICOM, as well as on behalf of her nation, she warned that "our very way of life, our economic and social welfare, our stability have all been undermined" by the events of September 11, and that "the basic fabric of our society is now seriously threatened." Recalling that "this is not the first time that nations of our hemisphere have suffered at terrorists' hands," Powell said: "The United States has stood with you and now you stand with us, partners in resolve as well as in grief: free peoples committed to the collective defense of our security and of the democratic ideals that we hold so dear." He asked his OAS counterparts to join him in "the long hard work" that must be done to foil the aims of terrorists. "Now, our governments, our law enforcement authorities and our civic institutions must find ways to work together at all levels and more cooperatively than ever before, exchanging life-saving information, coordinating our activities," he said. "Now, individually and collectively, we must take concrete steps to tighten border controls, enhance air- and seaport security, improve financial controls and increase the effectiveness of our counter-terrorism forces." Powell stressed that solidarity throughout the region "will be absolutely critical as we move forward through this crisis: critical to our democracies, critical to our prosperity, critical to our very security." The countries of the Western Hemisphere "will not allow murderers to destroy our democracies and devastate our economies," he declared. "We will never let our future be hijacked by terrorists." From this moment, "we commit ourselves to concerted action in defense of freedom, our common home," Powell said. "We will do it in accordance with the Rio Treaty, in the spirit of the OAS charter and in the name of the men and women of our hemisphere and throughout the world who believe in the sanctity of life, in justice, and in the power of good to prevail over evil." (The Washington File is a product of the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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