Attacks called "brutal" awakening to the need to protect hemisphere

Washington -- The Organization of American States (OAS) has cited the lessons of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks against the United States as a "brutal collective awakening" to the need for regional solidarity to ensure security in the Western Hemisphere.

The chairman of the OAS Permanent Council, Raymond Valcin of Haiti, said in a statement that the entire hemispheric community suffered on that day two years ago because the attacks claimed victims from the United States and many other countries in the region.

The OAS noted that on that day in 2001, OAS foreign ministers were meeting in Lima, Peru, to adopt the Inter-American Democratic Charter. U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell had joined his colleagues in Peru at that meeting, where he emphasized the particular urgency of defending democracy in light of the attacks. Powell interrupted his stay in Lima following news of the attacks to fly back to Washington.

The Inter-American Democratic Charter spells out what democracy entails and how it should be defended when it is under threat.

Peru's envoy to the OAS, Eduardo Ferrero Costa, said the Charter gives the countries of the region a tool not only to defend democracy when it is at risk, but also to promote a "democratic culture" throughout the hemisphere.

After the 2001 attacks, the OAS moved to adopt the Inter-American Convention Against Terrorism. The treaty, which aims to prevent, punish, and eliminate terrorism, was signed in June 2002 in Barbados and entered into force in July 2003.

Secretary Powell has praised the OAS for producing the first international treaty since the 2001 attacks "targeted at improving our ability to combat terrorism." Powell said that "more than ever before, the Americas stand together today against terrorism and for democracy."

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)