OAS’ Assistant Secretary General hails Obama victory as opportunity to build platform for future of Americas

WASHINGTON, DC – Hailing President-elect Barak Obama’s rise in the United States, Assistant Secretary General Albert R. Ramdin of the Organization of American States (OAS) has described the historic electoral victory as “no small feat,” which, hopefully, will usher in “a renewed engagement with the Western Hemisphere, a stronger relationship with countries of the Western Hemisphere, and also a renewed and stronger relationship with the Caribbean countries.”

The OAS Assistant Secretary General congratulated President-elect Obama, his family and the Democratic Party, acknowledging as well the people of the United States for their “very peaceful, well-organized elections.”

Albert R. Ramdin

In his remarks after Senator Obama won Tuesday’s presidential election, Ambassador Ramdin remarked that “the Western Hemisphere and the World witnessed yesterday a very important moment.” He said that the OAS welcomes this opportunity to work with the new president in the context of “addressing the global challenges of food security, energy, global climate change and all the other specific problems such as trade and financial markets.”

“We hope with this election the OAS will also be much more pronounced on his radar screen as we reflect and represent the Western Hemisphere in terms of all the issues that are relevant to the USA,” Ramdin said of Obama’s election as US President. It is a historic moment not only because of his heritage and background, but as well because Obama represents the value of youthful leadership “with vision, intellectual capacity, and an understanding of what is relevant to the people,” Ramdin added.

With reference to the Fifth Summit of the Americas that will be held next April in Trinidad and Tobago, Ambassador Ramdin said that it is hoped that “the then President Obama” will be able to attend this next gathering of hemispheric leaders as it “will provide for the hemisphere a new opportunity to re-engage, build solidarity, foster the collectivity and friendly relations between nations, but more importantly to focus on the agenda for change, a platform for the future, for the Americas.”