The politics for CARICOM securing 0AS second spot

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Chronicle - THE ORGANISASTION of American States (OAS) is scheduled to hold its 43rd General Assembly in June when elections will take place for the posts of Secretary General and Assistant Secretary General (ASG). Neither of the incumbents—Secretary General Miguel Insulza, a former Foreign Minister of Chile, and Assistant Secretary General Albert Ramdin, the Suriname-born diplomat and former Assistant Secretary General of the Caribbean Community (CARIC0M)—is eligible to seek re-election. It has evolved as a tradition in the long history of the hemispheric organization, headquartered in Washington, that the Latin American bloc of states, which controls the overwhelming number of votes among the 34 countries, regularly secures the post of General Secretary, while that of the number two spot, ASG, goes to a national of the Caribbean region that, at best, is assured of starting 15 votes.