Caribbean & Central America - 19 October 2004

“No respectable president would allow a person in his territory to organize violence in another country […] Mr. Mbeki is not respecting international law."
Haiti's interim prime minister Gérard Latortue commenting on the decision by his South African counterpart Thabo Mbeki to offer asylum to former Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

“We've decided to drive the candidacy of a Guatemalan (former ambassador to the UN, Gert Rosenthal) to the post of OAS secretary general […] we're going to look for the support of the rest of the Central American countries until we reach a consensus."
Guatemala's President Oscar Berger.

“To suspend suggests that things can either go on or come to an end. It's a decision of direction."
The moderate FMLN mayor of San Salvador, Carlos Rivas Zamora, trying to explain the decision of the FMLN to quit a key 
negotiating table with the government.