LETTER OF RESIGNATION BY SECRETARY GENERAL
MIGUEL ANGEL RODRIGUEZ
October 8, 2004

ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES
WASHINGTON, D.C.

THE SECRETARY GENERAL
October 8, 2004


Excellency:

My unanimous election as Secretary General of the Organization of American States is the greatest honor that the member states could ever have bestowed on me.

When I took office a few days ago, I did so armed with numerous programs and projects and with the deep conviction and firm hope that, on the basis of the values guiding the peoples of this new Hemisphere, the states and the General Secretariat would be able to give new impetus to our inter-American action: strengthening the protection of human rights, democracy, and good governance; accelerating shared growth and poverty reduction; securing peace and consolidating the new vision of hemispheric security.

I had spent the previous two years preparing myself for assuming this responsibility efficiently and effectively. And on September 15 itself, we put forward the first stage of the restructuring of the General Secretariat, with the generous support and sacrifice of our staff members, aimed at solving the difficult budgetary situation we are confronting and focusing our action on the four major areas mentioned above. At the same time, the foundations were laid for management by objectives so that budget resources would be targeted at OAS priorities, results could be evaluated, and appropriate incentives established.

In all these undertakings and in everything we accomplished in just a few days, the member states provided me with their loyal and sincere support, their timely counsel, and a genuine desire to achieve progress, as resolutely expressed at the highest levels of their governments and their missions to the Organization. I also received equal support, counsel, and resolve from the Assistant Secretary General, Ambassador Luigi Einaudi; the Secretariat staff; and my small and devoted team of advisers.

I believe it is extremely important to maintain, defend, and reinforce these changes for the benefit of the inter-American ideals of freedom, dignity, justice, solidarity, peace, and progress. I also believe that those of us who love the history and aspirations of the Americas, the diversity and wealth of our cultures, and the goodness of their peoples, must ask God for guidance and devote our best efforts to achieving these noble objectives.

Last Thursday, my name was cited in an investigation on payments made to different persons by suppliers of public entities in Costa Rica.

Two roads were open to me: remaining in the Secretariat so as to be able to continue promoting the reforms prepared with so much care over such a long period of time while personally struggling to be exonerated from those allegations, or resigning to devote myself exclusively to my defense and to clarification of the facts before the Costa Rican judicial authorities.

Every state, not including my own, that I consulted in the past few days offered me their support in connection with the first option and reminded me of the basic human rights rule that no one should be considered guilty being convicted in a court of justice, even less so when charges have not even been brought.

But circumstances have prompted me to reflect carefully about whether or not that alternative is advisable. On the one hand, I wanted to do my utmost to promote the projects that we had discussed so enthusiastically and are now launching. On the other, I wish to avoid costs for my family and the OAS and, quite recently, I have realized that I was underestimating the time and effort my defense in Costa Rica will take.

The OAS is an extraordinary organization. In its 115 years of existence, it has make great strides of which we should be proud and which are a source of encouragement for us as we address decisively the enormous challenges that still lies ahead, for the benefit of the women and men of the Hemisphere.

Consequently, I do not want to subject the Organization to a cruel and protracted persecution of its Secretary General, not only in the courts but also in the media. Nor do I want to subject my beloved family to the cost of a long-distance defense.


From the outset, I said that I would defend and clarify the factors before the Costa Rican judicial authorities, and I shall do so.

For these reasons, it is with profound sadness, which is matched only by my intense gratitude to you, Mr. Chair, your colleagues—ambassadors and permanent representatives--their heads of government and foreign ministers, that I resign from the post of Secretary General of the Organization of American States as of October 15, 2004.

I shall spend my remaining days as the incumbent transferring full responsibility and information to the Assistant Secretary General.

It is with humility, sadness, and anguish that I ask you and your countries for forgiveness for putting you through these difficult moments and I trust that my decision will enable the Organization to focus its full attention on the important tasks entrusted to it.

I ask God to guide the steps of the Permanent Council, the Assistant Secretary General, and the staff of the General Secretariat so that our Hemisphere may continue to uphold our values for the benefit of all citizens of the Americas and in the fight against poverty, exclusion, and inequity.

Accept, Excellency, the renewed assurances of my highest consideration.

Miguel Ángel Rodriguez


His Excellency
Aristides Royo
Chair
Permanent Council
Organization of American States