Opening ceremony for 38th OAS general assembly

(2 Jun 2008) SHOTLIST

1. Wide of the opening of General Assembly of the Organisation of American States (OAS)
2. Wide of OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza at podium
3. Host of the assembly, Colombian president Alvaro Uribe sitting near Colombian Foreign Minister Fernando Araujo
4. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) Jose Miguel Insulza, Secretary general of the OAS :
++Includes Cutaway++
"The Organisation of American States will go as an observer to the (Bolivian) referendum of August 10 convinced that with that referendum the Bolivian people will show once again their democratic convictions. But we also have the conviction that the final solution to that crisis will only arrive through sincere and generous dialogue and with the participation of all parties."
5. Cutaway of foreign ministers of the OAS
6. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) Jose Miguel Insulza, Secretary general of the OAS :
"Certainly when a country member of the OAS faces the actions of an armed group, that, like the case of the FARC in Colombia, has committed acts of terrorism, under our InterAmerican Convention against terrorism, has the right to ask for the support of the other members to fight that problem. But at the same time its neighbours have to make sure that those actions don't affect the peace and tranquillity of their own people."
7. Cutaway of Uribe
8. Wide of assembly
9. Insulza greeting Uribe
10. Wide of Uribe approaching podium
11. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) Alvaro Uribe, Colombian President:
"What democracy in the world can accept that a violent group takes over the legitimate justice of the state? (We) Colombians don't think that one of these groups should receive recognition of a state of belligerence which would be the equivalent of recognising that this group exercises justice."
12. Wide of stage

STORYLINE

Colombian President Alvaro Uribe on Sunday opened the 38th annual general assembly of the Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of American States in the northern city of Medellin.

The central them of the 2008 summit was " Youth and democratic values", however it was expected to focus on the rising prices of the food and energy.

In his opening address, OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza, spoke about the Bolivian political crisis and said that observers from the group would be present during an August referendum called by Bolivia's President, Evo Morales.

Morales committed himself and Bolivia's nine governors to face recall votes on August 10, gambling that his unfinished term will survive a referendum.

The referendum requires removal from office if the officials get more "no" votes than the votes they won when they were elected in 2005.

"With that referendum the Bolivian people will show once again their democratic convictions. But we also have the conviction that the final solution to that crisis will only arrive through sincere and generous dialogue and with the participation of all parties," said Insulza.

The Secretary General also talked about a regional crisis dating from March 1 when Colombia raided a rebel camp located in Ecuador soil killing 25 people.

Quito broke all diplomatic ties with Bogota following the cross-border raid, and relations between the neighbours have been strained ever since.

Officials from both countries were to present a report on the state of their relationship to the General Assembly on Tuesday, as part of efforts to tackle the regional crisis.



"At the same time its neighbours have to make sure that those actions don't affect the peace and tranquillity of their own people," he cautioned.






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