On September 19, the 22 signatories of the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance, known as the Rio Treaty, met and declared that an attack against one member is an attack against all and committed themselves to providing mutual assistance in the war against terrorism. The OAS was the first international organization to condemn the 9/11 attacks on the United States.
Their response to the terrorist attacks was an immediate condemnation and a focus on a united hemispheric response. OAS Foreign Ministers were meeting in Lima, Peru, on September 11, 2001, to adopt and sign the new Inter-American Democratic Charter. Since 1991, the OAS has built an impressive record of achievement in the development of confidence and security-building measures. The Committee on Hemispheric Security is composed of the 34 OAS member states, and has a chairperson and three vice-chairs that are elected for a 12-month period. In 1991, the 21st OAS General Assembly began examining security issues ranging from proliferation and arms transfers to “cooperation for hemispheric security.” In 1995, the 25th General Assembly instructed the Permanent Council to establish the Committee on Hemispheric Security, which created the region’s first permanent forum for the consideration of arms control, defense, nonproliferation, and security issues. Fostering Hemispheric Security and Protecting the Democratic State
0 kommentar(er)
