The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, and the Permanent Representative of Haiti to the Organization, Ambassador Duly Brutus, today signed an agreement on the privileges and immunities of the OAS-CARICOM Electoral Observation Mission for the presidential and legislative elections that will take place in the Caribbean nation on November 28.

The mission will be headed by the Assistant Secretary-General in charge of Foreign and Community Relations of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Colin Granderson, and will include more than 180 observers to be deployed in all provinces of the Caribbean nation to follow up before and during the electoral process as well as the voting process itself, the counting and closing of the ballots.

During the signing ceremony, Secretary General Insulza said that this Mission is a joint effort by the OAS and CARICOM, and explained that its primary objective is "to verify that the observed process complies with the norms and international standards of legitimacy and transparency as established in the Inter-American Democratic Charter to guarantee free and fair electoral processes."

Insulza also affirmed that this Joint Electoral Observation Mission underscores the continuing commitment of the OAS with Haiti and with the strengthening and consolidation of democracy in that country."

Ambassador Brutus, for his part, expressed satisfaction with the signing of the agreement and remarked that "the presence of the OAS is the best expression of the will of this organization to support the reinforcement of democratic institutions in Haiti. It is for all of us Haitians the best way to defend the principles of democracy necessary to fight poverty and to support the reconstruction of the country."

As of today, Secretary General Insulza said, the Chief of Mission is doing a preliminary visit to the Caribbean country. It is hoped that the first group of observers will travel to Haiti at the beginning of September.

The legislative elections in Haiti were postponed after the earthquake that struck the country on January 12. Since then, the OAS has been--and will continue to be-involved in various aspects of the Haitian electoral process, including: the registration of new voters, providing technical assistance to the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP), and offering technical support and equipment for the establishment of vote counting centers.

For more information, visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.