Politics, Business & Culture in the Americas

OAS Holds its 40th General Assembly in Peru



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Representatives from the 33 countries comprising the Organization of American States (OAS) convened in Lima, Peru on Sunday for its 40th general assembly. Top issues on the agenda include the readmission of Honduras into the hemispheric body and Arizona’s tough new immigration bill SB 1070, which numerous Latin American leaders have decried.

Also high on the agenda are growing concerns throughout the region about large-scale arms acquisitions by numerous countries, which some fear could lead to an unintended arms race. In a speech yesterday, Peruvian President Alan García asked, “If we are the most peaceful region in the world, why have we purchased more weapons? It is foolish to see enemies where there are none.”

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is also in Lima for the OAS assembly, where she will hold bilateral talks today with the foreign ministers of Bolivia, Mexico and Panama. Secretary Clinton will then travel to Ecuador, Colombia and Barbados.

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