OAS still best forum for Americas: Kent By Carl Meyer Published March 3, 2010

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Latin American and Caribbean diplomats are defending the decision to establish a new regional political and economic union that would exclude Canada.

Meanwhile, the Canadian government is offering tacit support on the new organization, but reiterating the continued importance of the Organization of American States.

The new group, which would include all states in the Western hemisphere except Canada and the United States, was announced at a joint summit of Latin American and Caribbean leaders in Cancun, Mexico, on Feb. 23.

Known colloquially as the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, CLACS is the product of several years of negotiations. It was conceived in the Dominican Republic in March 2008, gestated in Jamaica that November and in Brazil that December, and born during the recent summit in Mexico.

But having just been born, it is still a work in progress. Most details, including a formal name or structure, such as whether it will have a secretariat, are yet to be worked out, says the Canadian Foundation for the Americas. A July 5, 2011 meeting in Venezuela is seen as the next step in its evolution.

If fully grown, the group could approach a level of unity seen in bodies such as the European Union, capable of exercising influence over global affairs while harmonizing internal trade and infrastructure.

A document out of the Cancun meeting envisioned a bloc that tackles everything from the global financial crisis to international trade, energy, science and technology, infrastructure, social development, food and nutrition, education, and health, among other topics.

But despite reports that the organization aims to replace Canada's preferred vechicle of regional dialogue, the Organization of American States, the government says it welcomes new regional integration talks.

"Regional and subregional organizations in the hemisphere that promote peace, democracy or political integration" are beneficial to the region, said Minister of State of Foreign Affairs for the Americas Peter Kent.

But he also added that, for the moment, the OAS "remains the most important venue for regional co-operation."

"It has a permanent secretariat, it is well-funded, it has a history creating the Inter-American Democratic Charter, and it supports governance, human rights, security and development," said Mr. Kent.

The minister said it is too early for Canada to decide whether to request observer status at the group's 2011 meeting.

No slight intended: Diplomats

Latin American and Caribbean diplomats say Canada is being excluded not for political, but for economic and social reasons.

"We in Brazil believe that there are subjects that are better discussed when you have people that have the same problems," said Paulo Cordeiro de Andrade Pinto, the Brazilian ambassador to Canada.

Mr. Cordeiro explained that Brazil, which originally pushed for full regional integration at a summit it hosted in 2008, considers overlapping regional organizations to be good for strengthening regional unity.

"You have Brazil, you have [the Mercosur regional trade agreement], you have South America, you have Latin America. Now we have this Latin America and the Caribbean organization, whose main characteristic is that we all are developing countries. And then we have the hemisphere," he said.

"So I don't really see these as a measure to exclude Canada or the US from the Americas. We do have our hemisphere, but within the hemisphere there are differences between the countries, and those countries that are still in development decided to talk."

Along with Brazil, Mexico is seen as the group's other main proponent, having suggested a larger regional bloc during the Dominican Republic summit and recently deciding to host the joint meeting in Cancun.

Mexican Ambassador Francisco Javier Barrio Terrazas agreed that the divide between developed and developing countries as a deciding factor. He also noted that there are other regional groups that have a common interest that do not necessarily include the US and Canada, such as the Union of South American Nations.

"We have many things in common with all the countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. It seems natural and very convenient that we have some mechanism to discuss these issues," said Mr. Terrazas.

Permanency and cohesion?

The permanency of the group through factors such as long-term, stable funding and a robust secretariat, as well as the viability of keeping countries involved on friendly diplomatic terms, are seen in Latin American and Caribbean policy circles as major obstacles.

Peter Hakim, president of the Washington-based Inter-American Dialogue, suggested that institutions that have tried to economically or politically unite Latin American countries "haven't had a great record of success in the past."

"Will you see resources, leadership, organization, legal and operational rules, or are we just going to see the countries come together once or twice a year?" he said.

"I think it's always harder to organize a political arrangement when it doesn't start with an economic glue that brings them together, like the Europeans did, like the Brazilians tried to do with Mercosur, and like the US, Canada and Mexico did with NAFTA."

However, he added that it isn't impossible for political unions to succeed, citing the United States' Continental Congress and NATO as examples.

Mr. Terrazas said things won't be perfect right away, adding that any faltering by the new organization would not be out of line with other large multinational institutions such as the United Nations. To that end, he noted the UN often functions more as a forum for dialogue than as a consensus-builder.

Still, the fractious relationship between many of the countries in the region has Mr. Hakim and others wondering whether the group can survive bouts of infighting.

For example, during the recent meeting, several reports cited a verbal argument breaking out between Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Columbian President Alvaro Uribe.

The two countries are ideological rivals, the former subscribing to the leftist Bolivarian Revolution and the latter wishing to maintain close relations with the United States.

Because of this, Columbia remains skeptical of the exclusion of Canada and the United States.

"We hope that whatever we create is not based on the exclusion of countries, and don't create an organization just for the sake of creating a new organization, but that it's going to have a specific role," said Columbian Ambassador Jaime Girón Duarte.

"We cannot think, for example, that the Andean Community is going to be against UNASUR, or UNASUR against the OAS, or the OAS against [the Caribbean Community], or things like that. When we think of unity and integration we have to think of all the scenarios."

cmeyer@embassymag.ca