Brief Remarks by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Suriname,
H.E. Lygia Kraag - Keteldijk,
on the evaluation of the financial situation of the OAS ,
with a view to meeting present and future needs”,
June 4-6, 2006.

Thank you very much Mr. Chairman,

I would like to thank my colleague from Trinidad and Tobago for his comprehensive analysis on how to bring the financial situation of this Organization back on track.

The Government of Suriname agrees that there is a great need for a complete revision of the financial situation of this Organization and that the current quota scale urgently need to be adjusted.

Suriname therefore welcomes and supports the initiatives taken so far by the Secretariat to improve the financial situation of the OAS.

With regard to the establishment of a new quota system however, it is important to ensure that all members are assessed in a fair and equitable manner. It is also necessary to make certain that any new quota scale should reflect the changing economic situation and the ability to pay of every member state.

Last year Suriname agreed on a payment plan with this Organization in order to pay its quota arrears of longer then 6 years. In that respect my country has come a long way and as of today it has already paid more than 90% of this debt to the OAS and next September we will be completely current.

Suriname believes that the current UN quota scale can be used as a starting point in creating our own. We also believe that any new quota scale should be principally based on Article 55 of the OAS Charter which stipulates that the quota of each Government shall be established “taking into account the ability to pay of the respective countries and their determination to contribute in an equitable manner.”

It will be problematical for us to agree to a new quota scale which at the end of the day could be considered unfair or unjust.

Suriname therefore strongly welcomes all significant, transparent and non-discriminatory proposals, as well as initiatives that will ensure the financial solidity of this very important Organization
Thank you very much.