César Gaviria, former president of Colombia and now secretary-general of the Organization of American States (OAS), lectures in David L. Call Alumni Auditorium on Oct. 1. Adriana Rovers/University Photography
U.S.-Latin American relations have made steady improvements since the time of the Bush Administration, said the former president of Colombia during a visit last week.
"Since the Bush Administration, we have seen a friendly, cooperative policy develop between the United States and Latin American countries," said César Gaviria, who led Colombia from 1990 to 1994 and is now secretary-general of the Organization of American States (OAS). "The Clinton administration's Miami summit was a major breakthrough in the relationship and helped create new objectives for collective action."
Gaviria was on campus Oct. 1 to lecture in Kennedy Hall's David L. Call Alumni Auditorium on the involvement of the OAS in the promotion of inter-American trade cooperation. He said the OAS hopes to establish, by the year 2005, the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), which would facilitate the economic integration of the Western Hemisphere through the elimination of all trade and investment barriers.
At an afternoon press conference, Gaviria said Latin America is watching the upcoming U.S. presidential election with an eye on the issues.
"Most Latin American countries are tracking the issues that are coming out of the campaign, such as immigration, drug trafficking and foreign policy," he said. "This is what matters most to us, not the personalities of the candidates."
One issue that Gaviria said is no longer relevant to many Latin American countries is U.S. aid. "It is not a critical aspect of our relationship with the United States, except for maybe countries like Paraguay, Chile and Haiti."
Gaviria said Latin America has become a more unified region, with many countries having the same values and principles.
"All of the countries are starting to share the same concern for human rights and democratic systems," he said. "We are all discussing the same issues to ensure peace and security and that our hemisphere is not at risk."
This era of cooperation between Latin American countries is vital, he said, for the establishment of the FTAA.
As president, Gaviria promoted constitutional reform and oversaw the dismantling of the Medellín drug cartel. He left the presidency with a popularity rating of 70 percent. He was named secretary-general of the OAS in 1994.
Gaviria's Cornell visit was sponsored by the Johnson Graduate School of Management and its Latin American Business Association, the Latin American Studies Program, the Colombian Student Association and the International Business Association.