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The General Assembly of the Organization of American States has taken cognizance of the situation created in the Republic of Bolivia by President Carlos Mesa’s resignation. After hearing a report by Minister of Foreign Affairs Juan Ignacio Siles and bearing in mind the provisions of the Inter-American Democratic Charter, the General Assembly declares the following:

1. To recognize the efforts made by President Carlos Mesa to move forward in this process on the basis of consensus and the generosity he is demonstrating in vacating his post to enable the country to advance toward a peaceful solution.

2. To regret the exacerbation of the political crisis in Bolivia, which has resulted in President Mesa’s tendering his resignation to the Congress of the Republic.

3. To recognize the role that relevant social institutions, like the Catholic Church, have played and can continue to play in the peaceful development of the crisis.

4. To express the need for the resignation of the President of Bolivia to be considered in terms of the statutory channels established in the country’s Constitution.

5. To call upon the actors in the Bolivian political process to surmount the present crisis promptly, through dialogue, in a peaceful fashion, and with respect for human rights, in accordance with applicable constitutional provisions, preserving democracy and guaranteeing the unity of Bolivia.

6. To express the readiness of the Organization of American States to provide all cooperation that may be requested by the legitimate Bolivian authorities to facilitate dialogue as a means of surmounting the crisis and guaranteeing the preservation of democratic institutions.