PERMANENT COUNCIL OF THE ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES
SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON INTER-AMERICAN SUMMITS MANAGEMENT

OEA/Ser.G   CE/GCI-22/95
12 October 1995
Original: Spanish

REPORT OF THE INTER-AMERICAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS TO THE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON INTER-AMERICAN SUMMITS MANAGEMENT

San Jos�, October 10, 1995

Ref.: CDH-S/812-95

Her Excellency
Ambassador Harriet C. Babbitt
Permanent Representative of the United States to the OAS
Washington, D.C.

Excellency:

We have received a fax dated October 5, 1995, from Mrs. Henriette Lachmising, Secretary of the Special Committee on Inter-American Summits Management of the OAS Permanent Council. It is addressed to the President of the Inter-American Court, Judge H�ctor Fix-Zamudio, and is a reminder that the Court's progress report on implementation of the Summit initiatives and on additional follow-up plans on the measures adopted by the Summit, which you requested by fax and mail, has not yet been received.

Because the Court's receipt of the documents was not timely and we have neither received specific guidelines nor been assigned any particular task (resolution 1349 (XXV-O/95) of June 9, 1995, operative paragraph 5), Court members?except for the President who is now in Europe?have not had the chance at their meetings to deliberate on the content of documents related to the Summit.

We feel that the Inter-American Court of Human Rights is being given a very valuable opportunity to suggest to the governments, through you, how the Court may be strengthened, and consequently to fill some of the significant gaps in the establishment of human rights in the Americas. However, the Court may only deliberate and decide on its treatment of this subject from January 22, 1996, the date of commencement of the thirty-third regular session.

The Secretariat will ask the President to place the item of the Court's proposals or comments on how governments could strengthen even more the Inter-American Commission on Human rights and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights on the work agenda for the Court's next regular session.

Meanwhile, I transmit to Your Excellency, via courier, and to Mrs. Henriette Lachmising as well, these documents: a copy of the Court's 1994 Annual Report, a copy of the summary of the Court's activities in the first six months of 1995 (which was prepared for the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights), and a copy of a press release issued after the September 1995 meeting. This is all the information the Secretariat may offer the Special Committee.

Accept, Excellency, the renewed assurance of my highest consideration.

Ana Mar�a Reina
Assistant Secretary