Moderator: ...to the Mexican government, especially its Foreign Ministry, for the amazing welcome and fantastic organization. We have with us the Foreign Secretary of Mexico, Luis Videgaray; the Undersecretary for Latin America and the Caribbean, Socorro Flores Liera; OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro; and OAS Assistant Secretary General Néstor Méndez.

We will begin the press conference with the Foreign Secretary, then the Assistant Secretary General, Néstor Méndez, will say a few words about how the assembly is organized, and we will conclude with the Secretary General. So without further ado, sir ...

 Foreign Secretary Luis Videgaray: Thank you and welcome, all of you, to Mexico, to Cancun. I would like to give a warm welcome to the Secretary General and the Assistant Secretary General. It is a privilege for us Mexicans to host a General Assembly of the Organization of American States for the first time ever, the 47th Assembly, in which our deepest interest is that it be a true forum for dialogue and concertation in order to make progress with the key issues on the American continent, which are issues related to development.

Our interest in the Organization of American States is widely recognized. Mexico is a country that believes in multilateralism. We believe that the formal forums for discussion between nations are beyond a doubt the best place to overcome differences, reach agreements and to build a better world and, in this case, a better region, together. 

We are a major contributor to the Organization of American States. We are the fourth-ranked contributor to the organization's budget. In addition to hosting the General Assembly, in 2007 we also hosted various specialized meetings on drug trafficking, arms, and competitiveness. This year, we also hold the presidency of the Inter-American Defense Board. So Mexico supports the organization with conviction and with enthusiasm.

 

The General Assembly is and always has been an opportunity to renew support for the regional institutions and to reaffirm our commitments and obligations.

As we have said many times, the OAS is not only an association for geographic reasons, we are in the OAS not only because we belong to this geographic region, but because we share values ​​and principles. The OAS as an organization was born, exists and is strong precisely because of these shared values, and these values, these principles, should be at the center, at the heart of Mexico's work and, I'm sure, the work of all of the member countries.

The theme of the 47th Assembly is "Strengthening Dialogue and Concertation for Prosperity." We believe that it is through dialogue and concertation that we can make progress with the fundamental areas that define this organization. Mexico, as host country, has actively participated in defining the agenda of this assembly. Some of the issues that Mexico has put on the table and that are important for us are, first, the issue of migration, given that Mexico is a country that is, at the same time, a country of  origin, a country of transit, and a country of return for migrants. The issue of migration changes from day to day and presents enormous  challenges and we believe that the issue of migration, seen from a comprehensive perspective of co-responsibility and strict respect and priority for migrants' human rights, should be part of the fundamental dialogue of this assembly and should be promoted and conducted as such.

One very important issue that our country has also promoted is the financial strengthening of the inter-American human rights system. Something we have already talked about with the member States is that we are going to push for doubling the financial resources of the Inter-American human rights system and for a new strategic plan.

With regard to indigenous peoples, Mexico proposes a specific plan of action to accelerate the previously-adopted inter-American declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples. Regarding the format of the assembly, Mexico has proposed, and the Organization's member States have accepted, having (INAUDIBLE) observers in addition to the traditional format of the sessions. What we are looking for is a substantive, broad conversation about the OAS and the role it plays in the region.

We wish to reaffirm our commitment to all of the multilateral forums, to all of the forums for discussion and, particularly, to the forums of shared values, where common cause is made for democracy and human rights, for inclusive development and security, as understood in all of its dimensions. We hope it will be a successful assembly that will strengthen our organization and, above all, that it will result in specific results for the prosperity and development of the peoples of the American continent.

Again, a warm welcome and we will work hard to make the Cancun assembly a successful one.  Thank you.

Moderator: Assistant Secretary-General.

OAS Assistant Secretary General Néstor Méndez: Good morning, everyone. I would like to begin by thanking the people and government of Mexico, especially the team at the Foreign Ministry under the leadership of the Foreign Secretary and the Undersecretary, for all the support they have given us to ensure that the preparations for this General Assembly have been thorough and successful.

I would like to briefly tell you about the registrations we have so far and also quickly about some of the most important resolutions that we hope to adopt. This assembly is very well attended at a very high level. As of last night, we had 369 delegates from member States registered. This includes--as of last night--26 foreign ministers or their equivalent. From the permanent observers, we have 45 countries present with a total of 106 registered delegates. We also have 577 registered civil society participants. This number of civil society representatives is the largest ever registered at any General Assembly so far.  We also have 93 delegates from international organizations, 92 private sector companies and 357 national and international media representatives. In total, as of last night, we had 1,832 registered participants at this assembly.

In addition to the resolutions already mentioned by the Foreign Secretary, I would just like to mention four more that adhere very closely to the four pillars of our organization. Of the 18 resolutions and declarations that have been presented for adoption by the General Assembly, I am going to mention just four: one is a draft resolution on promoting and protecting human rights; another is a draft resolution to strengthen democracy; another is a draft resolution promoting integral development in the hemisphere; and there is a draft resolution to promote hemispheric security from a multidimensional approach.  We also have a very important resolution that the Foreign Secretary mentioned on migration, which is a very important issue for the organization and for our member states.

It is also customary during the assemblies to take the opportunity to carry out the elections for the decentralized and autonomous agencies of the OAS. On this occasion, we are also going to elect members to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. In fact, Mexico has a candidate in this election. We will also elect members to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, the Inter-American Juridical Committee and the Justice Studies Center for the Americas, among others.

Lastly, although it is not part of the General Assembly because it is a totally separate body, as everyone knows, today we will also continue the consultation meeting we began in Washington on May 31.

 So far, that's what we have in terms of logistical arrangements and preparations. Again, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the Foreign Ministry and the people and government of Mexico for all their support. We are confident that we will have a very successful assembly. Thank you.

Moderator: Ambassador, Mr. Secretary General.

OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro: Very briefly, the OAS definitely embodies--based on fundamental principles and values ​​of democracy and human rights--the strength of multilateralism in the hemisphere. The General Assembly is definitely the epicenter of decisions and the guide for the work that we will do this year and into early next year.  We hope it will be a meeting where real decisions are made on the most important issues on the continent. The title says a great deal: shared prosperity through dialogue and concertation. These positive concepts address the essence of our continent. Our continent shows us that if there is democracy, if there is access to rights and equity, if the institutions are functioning optimally, then the conditions for development are at their best.

 Our countries grow and develop economically in parallel to the extent that the strength of their democracy and their institutions allow it.

For this reason, dialogue and concertation are the essential elements of democracy. Dialogue and concertation are the two essential instruments that cannot be missing from a political system. When they are eroded or deteriorated, or completely disappear, that is when we see dysfunctional aspects of democracy and we see, we have seen recent examples of how the institutional deterioration of a country also affects its socioeconomic levels, as it obviously affects its level of development and growth, as well.

It is an honor to be in Mexico, to hold this General Assembly in Mexico, the first time that the country has hosted an ordinary session. This was adopted by consensus at the previous General Assembly. It demonstrates Mexico's commitment to the Inter-American system and how instrumental Mexico is for the principles and values ​​to which we have referred to flourish.

Each of the panels will address the issues that have to do with our pillars and we hope they provide us with answers to some of the main issues that afflict us today on the continent. You can't work on democratic issues without addressing the main problems we face today, know whether the issue of separation of powers is an essential value for us, if an independent judiciary is an essential value for us, if the existence or not of political prisoners is part of what should be a functioning democracy, without support through humanitarian channels to resolve social crises--these are also essential instruments for strengthening peoples' rights.

Without a doubt, human rights, sustainable development, multidimensional security, all the essential elements, have to be incorporated into the discussions, including migration, as noted by Foreign Secretary Videgaray, it's a cross-cutting issue. Each migrant is entitled to the same economic, social, civil, political and cultural rights that we all have as citizens, and respect for these rights is essential, respect for the rule of law in procedures affecting migrants is essential.

Development is often underpinned by the work and mobility of people on our continent. Security is another of the crucial issues on our continent, the most violent of all. We definitely have to resolve still-pending issues on organized crime, drug trafficking, and how that has affected and permeated our societies, how death by violence is an existential problem on our continent.

Institutional strengthening and dialogue as a key instrument for development, how we build democracy, and at the same time how we carry out institutionalism from within a multilateral forum. Thank you.

Moderator: Thank you, Secretary-General.

[Before the questions], I would like to acknowledge and thank the Undersecretary of Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights of the Mexican Foreign Ministry for being here with us today, thank you.  And the first question is for Ariadna González of El Universal. Ariadna.

Question: Thank you, good morning, Ariadna Garcia, El Universal.

I want to ask this: This meeting is evidently very marked by the issue of Venezuela and by the meeting of consultation that was suspended on May 31. It seems that this is what will color the whole assembly.

What I would like to know is: in the meeting of consultation, are you discussing the issue of whether there will finally be a consensus between all the countries to address the issue of Venezuela?  Why hasn't this consensus been reached; what do they intend to do today, if they are going to get to the conclusion of this topic?

And also, regarding the theme of the assembly, which mentions the principles of human rights and democracy a great deal. Secretary Almagro, I want to ask you, are you seeing risks in the region to these principles that you are defending?

Moderator: Who was the first question for?

 Foreign Secretary Luis Videgaray: I'll take this one.

Let's see. Néstor said it a moment ago. The consultation meeting is legally different from this assembly. It was agreed almost three weeks ago in Washington at the consultation meeting held at the end of May that the session would be suspended and resumed today, because we would all be together again at the assembly. At that meeting, three draft resolutions were presented. One was withdrawn by its sponsor. There are two projects that share very important elements. There are also significant differences. And what was agreed is that we we would give ourselves some time to discuss these resolutions between their sponsors in order to agree on a single resolution that could be adopted by a large majority.

And that is what has been happening. The work continues, even today, and I think it will be important to be attentive to the development of the consultation meeting. The position of the Mexican government is an absolutely constructive one. We want to reach a resolution that will get a large number of votes. We believe it is important for the region, for the organization and, of course, for Venezuela.

There are elements that we believe must be in the resolution and that is what we are working on. I think that, rather than getting ahead of ourselves, I'll invite you to wait for the outcome of the consultation meeting that will be held within a few hours, at 2 pm. Thank you.

OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro: Furthermore, I believe that we must bear in mind that the consultation meeting has had an evolving role in assessing the situation in Venezuela. You have to look at the consultation meeting in a wider context, which is the April 3 resolution by the OAS Permanent Council on the alteration of the constitutional order in Venezuela.

And, from that point on, the countries have continued making progress by discussing issues, proposing mechanisms to resolve the Venezuelan issue, and discussing the agenda needed to resolve the Venezuelan issue institutionally. The process won't end today, either, even if we have a very strong resolution. The issue of Venezuela will continue because the crisis in Venezuela isn't going to end today, either.

So, our countries will have to continue to address it, as will the Secretariat General, we'll have to continue promoting democratic solutions and the respect for human rights that the people of Venezuela need. Democracy and human rights are the American peoples' rights. This is the context of the "Inter-American Democratic Charter;" these principles and values are fundamental for coexistence in our continent.

I believe that at this moment we are facing certain bad practices that accumulated over several years, but in general our countries have demonstrated the institutional strength to resolve them. Sometimes it is a lack of dialogue, sometimes it is institutional problems, sometimes it has to do with weak institutions, sometimes it has to do with fundamental inequalities that we have within our countries.

In any case, our strengths have ensured that, even when times haven't been so good economically, democratic processes have survived.  And, except for one country mentioned by the OAS in the April 3 resolution, in Venezuela where there has been an alteration of the constitutional order, in the organization's other countries, order has been strongly maintained and has survived even serious crises linked to corruption or other institutional problems. 

I think that, yes, we are thinking about, we need to think every day about the issue of democracy on the continent and fundamental freedoms in the continent. Why? Because these fundamental freedoms are the essence of our coexistence, and also because it is the governments' responsibility to ensure democracy for society. So today, yes, we have things on the table that we have to tackle and resolve because they can cause very bad precedents.

We mentioned today the separation of powers, an independent judiciary, strong and effective parliamentary work, the absence of political prisoners, the role of justice, the role of social and economic rights and the best conditions of equality, how to keep organized crime out of politics, how to banish corruption within the continent.

These are the organization's daily challenges. Every day we tackle any number of problems.  And without a doubt today the construction of all of the above has evolved far beyond what we could have hoped for some decades ago... a couple or three decades ago.  We have other institutional strengths and we are achieving solutions within the political systems themselves and their workings. And the international community is taking action on key issues.

In analyzing the case of Venezuela  today, it shows that we are addressing the institutional problems that may exist in our countries. Defense of democracy is an essential principle. That is not intervention; that is not interference. Those who drafted the Inter-American Democratic Charter were absolutely clear that this is not intervention, but rather that respect for and the evolution of international law indicate that the defense of democracy and human rights is an essential instrument of international defense.

I come from a leftist party, and that leftist party relied heavily on the international defense of democracy and on human rights to regain democracy. And that is true for almost all the parties on the left in the southern cone.

Moderator: Thank you, Mr. Secretary. The next question is for Cristina García.

Question: Good morning and thank you. I would like to ask both the Secretary General and the Foreign Secretary: If there is no consensus today, as seems likely, and if today they don't get 23 votes, will there be a draft resolution by the assembly that would only need 18 votes, or could we leave here without a text about Venezuela? Thank you.

 Foreign Secretary Luis Videgaray: There are several scenarios and I don't want to say anything too soon.  The consultation meeting won't necessarily end today.  In fact, the organization's practice is for the consultation meetings to often remain open for a long period of time. That is one of the possible scenarios. Another scenario is to agree on the terms of discussion, not within the consultation meeting, but rather within the General Assembly. That's also a possibility. And, of course, we may get a resolution today with the required number of votes. All these scenarios are possible.

The most important thing is that whatever we achieve should be achieved through a good-faith dialogue, the best democratic practices and, most importantly, in defense of the values ​​that unite and identify us, in this case specifically the defense of representative democracy as the only form of government that must prevail in the American continent.

Moderator: Thank you. The next question is for Pamela Cruz, from Notimex.

Question: Thank you, good morning. My first question would be: regarding Venezuela, the Foreign Minister sent out some tweets and I would like, Mr. Foreign Secretary, to know the response? You mentioned it yourself, and the aggressive remarks the team has received from Venezuela.

I would also like you to comment on the New York Times article, that the Mexican government was spying on journalists and human rights defenders.

For the Secretary, PAN and PRD representatives met with the OAS to discuss what had happened in the elections in Mexico. I would like to know what the OAS' opinion is and what it's going to do about it.  And if you were asked to be observers for the 2018 elections in Mexico. I would also like to know if there any contingency in place for a possible hurricane here in Cancun? Thank you.  

 Foreign Secretary Luis Videgaray: And with that, you have asked everything that everyone else was going to ask.

Let's see, let's take it by parts.  First, something that we are very happy about is that Venezuela is here. I think it was very disappointing to learn about the position of the Venezuelan government when they decided to announce, unilaterally, their withdrawal from the organization. The fact that they are here today with, in fact, one of the largest--or perhaps the largest--delegations, is something that strengthens the organization. (AUDIO FAILURE) of this General Assembly, and of course the Mexican government is working hand in hand with the organization. Ultimately, it is the OAS that has authority over accreditations and what happens inside the venue.

We are interested in giving all of the delegations the best conditions, the best working conditions, so that they can express their points of view, participate in the dialogues, in the debates and make it a very positive assembly. There are literally thousands of tourists in Cancun. The assembly is taking place in a very large hotel, and not in the whole hotel ... not everyone who is in the hotel came here to work.  Fortunately for most, they come here to vacation and hopefully the weather will improve so that they can enjoy some of the sun that Cancun is famous for. 

And neither the OAS nor the Mexican government controls the access of literally thousands of visitors who are staying in this very big hotel.  What the organization is responsible for and what the Mexican government is co-responsible for and is helping with, is with what happens within the area of our activities.  And there should be no doubt that all delegations must have the right conditions to work. Yesterday we contacted the Venezuelan government through diplomatic channels to talk about this situation and make sure that they have the amenities and conditions they need for their work.

Fortunately, what happened yesterday outside of the physical space of the Assembly wasn't an incident that resulted in harm to anyone, it was just a verbal incident.

With regard to the report, I know that there is a report, I haven't read it yet. I'll be happy to comment on it later, but I prefer to hear the opinion of the pertinent areas of the Mexican government.

The question wasn't for me, but I would like to say something about the Secretary General's meetings with representatives of the opposition political parties in Mexico. I would like to say that Mexico’s position is clear. We welcome the OAS' openness to listening to all of the voices of Mexican society and all the political expressions in Mexico. Mexico is a democracy and it is an open society, and we appreciate the openness of the Secretary General to listen to all of the voices of Mexico's political reality; we are proud to be a very active, very plural and very participatory society.

And I will go so far as to give you an opinion on the possibility of electoral observers. Of course Mexico would welcome OAS electoral observers. We have done it before. The OAS has successfully observed the Mexican elections and I want to make something very clear about the international scrutiny of elections, of human rights or of any other matter. Mexico believes in international scrutiny as something that makes us stronger. It is a powerful instrument of change and Mexico will always be open to having the various bodies of the OAS or the inter-American system in general in Mexico.

OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro: Thank you.

Yes, we had two meetings yesterday with the leadership of the PAN and the PRD. They both expressed concern about the elections in Coahuila. They told us about some practices that we thought weren't part of the political and electoral system anymore, specifically in that state, and about problems regarding the elections in that state.

This issue definitely has a last recourse, which is the Federal Electoral Tribunal. We have full confidence that it will act in accordance with the law, and that it will ensure electoral law and the right of the parties to participate fully and strongly.

In any case, we will probably maintain some contact with the president of the court to learn more precisely about the situation.  With the PAN leadership, we also discussed some issues related to democracy in the region, specifically concerns about the Venezuelan case, and with the PRD, we discussed the rights agenda that of course includes LGBTIQ community and the rights of Afro-descendants in Mexico, institutional and constitutional rights that must be recognized.

We also discussed the shared concern with the OAS about the murders of journalists, which definitely is a scourge of freedom of expression and the work done by journalists and we asked for the strongest guarantees for them, as well.

Regarding electoral observers, we were invited to observe the 2018 election, and we will use the organization's technical capacities and conditions, while respecting the organization's 14 fundamental standards. Thank you.

Question:(INAUDIBLE)

 Foreign Secretary Luis Videgaray: We haven't been told yet about a contingency, if we are, if we hear anything from Civil Protection, you will be the first to know.

Moderator: The next question is for Sara Barderas of DPA.

Question: Thank you, good morning.

Secretary General, I wanted to ask you about (AUDIO PROBLEMS) The Foreign Secretary mentioned three possible scenarios regarding the meeting, the conclusion or lack of conclusion of the meeting of consultation of the foreign ministers. I wanted to know if you agree with those scenarios or if you see one as being more possible, and also, for you, what would a consensus resolution on Venezuela have to include. Thank you.

OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro: I agree with the three scenarios presented by the Foreign Secretary. Our reasoning is that the work done by the countries in the consultation meetings of Ministers of Foreign Affairs is essential and what is built, the consensus and the discussions and the gradual coming together during negotiations between the countries, are all respected by us, just as the position of each country is respected, because they have taken them according to democratic mechanisms within their own countries, if they have reached those conclusions.

So far be it from me to say what the resolution should contain. All the resolutions that have come out of the organization's Permanent Council have had the support of the Secretary General, specifically the last one that we referred to, the April 3 one that refers to the alteration of the constitutional order in Venezuela.

The resolution will contain what the countries agree to and we are fully confident that they have worked and continue to work to reach  the best working hypotheses and solutions for the Venezuelan crisis.

We know, because we have marked it in our agenda  and in our updated reports, what is needed to resolve the Venezuela issue. It is very clear that Venezuela needs a comprehensive electoral timetable that includes national elections. Venezuela needs to annul the call for a National Constituent Assembly. Venezuela needs to respect the powers of the National Assembly. Venezuela needs an independent judiciary, Venezuela needs to free the political prisoners, it must stop the torture of which these political prisoners are victims, and Venezuela needs an international humanitarian channel that provides medicines and food to the Venezuelan population. Until they are resolved, these problems are going to continue and, therefore, it is better to address them as soon as possible, resolve them as soon as possible, and for Venezuela to return to institutionalism as soon as possible.

Moderator: Thank you, we have one more question, it's for Georgina Saldierna, from La Jornada.

Question: Good morning.

You have talked about the possibility of a single resolution, how advanced is the evolution of this document? If you could just tell us anything about if Venezuela has already agreed to something.

And, for you, Foreign Secretary, if Mexico has any interest in negotiating a space within the OAS to prevent Venezuela from leaving the organization, and if you have talked to the Venezuelan opposition in this context and what is the goal of these meetings, given that we know that Ambassador de Alba has had that type of meeting.

 Foreign Secretary Luis Videgaray: Thank you, the resolution is being worked on by the countries that promoted the two previous resolutions. Venezuela did not promote either resolution. One of the resolutions is promoted by a group of 14 countries, you know who they are, which includes Mexico, and the other group are the Caribbean countries, the CARICOM countries, and there are 14 of them, as well.  Dialogue has been between these two groups, and the aim is to make a single resolution out of those two resolutions.

For Mexico, it is essential that the resolution be a clear one, along the lines of what the Secretary General has said, that recognizes that dialogue is essential. And we believe that this dialogue must take place, first, among Venezuelans and, second, that new entities are needed for the dialogue, because the previous entities clearly didn't work well and the international community, through the OAS in this case, has expressed its desire, and Mexico is part of this, to contribute in the way in which the Venezuelans themselves believe is productive.

In that sense, we have had many contacts with various voices involved in Venezuela's political reality in order to hear different points of view and to find a path, a space, the path to a solution.  For the Mexican government, dialogue will always be the only correct alternative or option to make progress with any problem of this nature. Of course, we continue to be in communication with the Venezuelan government and, I repeat, we welcome their presence here, that they haven't left the forum but instead that they are here with a big delegation and that they have come to participate in the debates.

Mexico's position has been very clear, and it hasn't changed:  We believe that there has been a real deterioration of democratic conditions in Venezuela and, as has been said many times, including in statements from the Vatican and others, it is essential that the process of dialogue creates part of the condition (AUDIO PROBLEMS), of course the political prisoners, that there is a humanitarian channel and now, something more recent is that we believe that this proposal for a constituent assembly, everyone thinks that, rather than create a consensus, instead of creating a space for a detente, has further polarized Venezuelan society, and therefore we believe that the government should reconsider the terms under which it has proposed this constituent assembly.

That is Mexico's position. And we think that what is important is that there is an agreement within the organization that facilitates dialogue among Venezuelans. Our obligation, according to the organization's charter and to the Democratic Charter, is to exhaust all diplomatic efforts and that is what we are doing, that is what we are doing today, and that is what we will continue to do. That is where we are headed.

Sorry, I didn't write down your second question. What was it?

Ah, discussions with opponents.

Recently, I have not had any meeting with opponents. Yesterday, Ambassador de Alba, who is here, had a meeting with both the Venezuelan delegation and with some Venezuelan citizens identified with the opposition because of that verbal altercation someplace near the venue for the Assembly.

His main reason was to talk to both parties to avoid a repetition of this sort of thing, and for differences, which are valid, to be reconciled as well as possible and civilly. That is something that should mark the work of the organization and of all diplomatic efforts. That was the reason for the meeting yesterday.

The photos you saw on Twitter were about that, an ambassador doing his diplomatic work to calm a situation where there was a verbal altercation, nothing more.  In the past, I have met with some opponents, and I have also met with the Foreign Minister and we have had many meetings with the Venezuelan government with a single purpose, which is to listen to all of the voices and try to guide our diplomatic efforts towards a constructive solution of this very serious conflict.

 Moderator: I would like to thank all the officials for being here; thank you.

 Foreign Secretary Luis Videgaray: Thank you all very much.

Moderator: We wish you a happy assembly, thank you.