Costa Rica on Wednesday formally announced to the Organisation of American States (OAS) Permanent Council that former President Miguel Ì?ngel RodrÌ?guez EcheverrÌ?a is its candidate for the post of OAS Secretary General.
Ambassador Walter Niehaus, the Costa Rican Permanent Representative to the OAS, asked the Hemisphere’s governments to support the Costa Rican candidate’s bid to succeed current OAS Secretary General César Gaviria of Colombia, whose term ends next year. Ambassador Niehaus hailed Rodr’guez Echeverr’a as “an outstanding Costa Rican citizen” and a noted Central American with a broad hemispheric vision and solid experience as a lawyer, economist and academic.
The Cosat Rican Ambassador pointed to Rodr’guez Echeverr’a’s political career highlights that include serving as Minister of Planning and Economic Policy, as a Deputy and as President of the Chamber of the Legislative Assembly prior to being President from 1998 to 2002.
As President of Costa Rica, Rodriguez Echeverr’a “actively supported the adoption of the Inter-American Democratic Charter,” Ambassador Niehaus recalled, noting how he put the Charter into practice “to ensure constitutionally-elected governments are respected.”
He recalled as well that during the Rio Group’s Summit in San José in April 2002, then President Rodr’guez Echeverr’a had called for the Inter-American Democratic Charter to be invoked “to ensure respect for Venezuela’s constitutionally-elected President Hugo Chávez Fr’as, amid an attempted military coup.”
Miguel çngel Rodr’guez Echeverr’a is currently a visiting professor at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs in Washington, D.C.

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