The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, and the Permanent Representative of Suriname to the Organization, Ambassador Jacques R.C. Kross, signed today an agreement on the privileges and immunities for the OAS observers that will participate in the Electoral Observation Mission of the General Elections to be held on May 25, 2010.

During the ceremony, which took place at the OAS headquarters in Washington, D.C., Insulza commented that the OAS and Suriname have been working together for a long time in the area of electoral missions “and we feel very proud to have been invited to observe this democratic process”, he affirmed.

“We are sure that, once again, we will count on all of the support and help of the national authorities”, highlighted Secretary General Insulza.

Ambassador Jacques R.C. Kross, on behalf of his Government, thanked the Organization “for the support and the guidance that the OAS has always given”, and recalled that Suriname has a tradition of “fair and free elections”.

Irene Klinger, Director of the Department of International Affairs of the OAS, was designated by the Secretary General as Chief of Mission for the elections where 51 seats from the National Assembly will be elected. Klinger will make a preliminary visit to the Caribbean nation on April 29 during which she will sign the Agreement on Electoral Access with the Minister of Internal Relations and the Independent Electoral Committee of Suriname.

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

Reference: E-131/10