The inauguration of a new era.

• Position: Organization of American States

In his inaugural address of September 15, Secretary General Cesar Gaviria pledged to be "the most devoted warrior for freedom, democracy, peace, prosperity, integration, and the well-being of all citizens of the Americas." The former president of Colombia was sworn in as the seventh secretary general of the OAS by Guatemalan ambassador Cesar Fernando Alvarez Guadamuz, President of the Permanent Council, before a gathering of international dignataries, including Colombian president Dr. Ernesto Samper Pizano, the Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, James Mitchell, U.S. Secretary of State, Warren Christopher, ex-presidents of various Latin American countries, and other special guests.

Addressing the inter-American community gathered for the occasion, Gaviria proposed a new agenda for action in the Americas, stressing the increased "interdependence (of nations) as an unquestionable reality, the building and strengthening of democracy and its individual and collective liberties, including, the defense and promotion of human rights, the need for a partnership among nations, and the efforts toward egalitarianism through mechanisms such as free trade." He added that environmental conservation is another topic that should figure prominently on the expanded agenda of the OAS.

The new secretary general underscored that the current situations in Cuba and Haiti "are two subjects of concern to all of us who wish to live in peace in a tension-free and democratic Hemisphere. . . . Both those countries belong to the Americas and to this Organization, so that we cannot fail to be involved in their fate." On Cuba, Gaviria warned that in order to encourage "sweeping economic and political reforms, in accordance with the will of the people, . . . we cannot isolate Cuba. We must open the doors so that ideas can be aired, information can flow, and the future can be discussed dispassionately. On Haiti, he affirmed that President Jean-Bertrand Aristide "will return . . . because that is the wish of the people who elected him and that is the unequivocal wish of the international community." He also stated that the OAS will play a crucial role as the inter-American system's political organization in the approaching reconstruction of democracy in Haiti.

"The challenge before us is enormous," Secretary General Gaviria told the OAS Council as he discussed the new agenda aimed at accelerating efforts "to strengthen democracy and bring about a world free...