3 SecStates to Senator Dodd: The Nation Needs Otto Reich

(Washington, D.C.): In an unusual public expression of support for a State Department nominee, three former Secretaries of State have weighed in on behalf of President Bush’s choice to become Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Otto Reich. The Center for Security Policy has not always agreed with former Secretaries George Shultz, James Baker and Lawrence Eagleburger. But with respect to the urgent need for a man of Ambassador Reich’s character, intelligence and expertise in that post, it can safely be said these gentlemen have never been more right.

In fact, there is only one reason why the country has been denied Amb. Reich’s talents over the past few months — even as the war on terrorism, successive crises in Colombia, economic melt-down in Argentina, Hugo Chavez’s growing authoritarianism in Venezuela and the threatened return to power in Nicaragua of the Sandinistas’ Daniel Ortega (among other ominous developments in the region) have underscored what is at stake: The refusal by Senator Chris Dodd to convene hearings of the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee he chairs in order to consider the Reich nomination. Apparently, Sen. Dodd is reluctant to allow his own sorry record during the epochal fight in the 1980s for democracy in Central America, and Mr. Reich’s exemplary one, to be reviewed.

For the reasons mentioned by Messrs. Shultz, Baker and Eagleburger, this travesty should be ended at once. Senator Joseph Biden, the Committee’s chairman, should intervene to give Amb. Reich the courtesy of a hearing, then let the nomination be voted upon; it would surely be approved with a bipartisan majority. In the event, neither Sen. Biden nor Sen. Dodd are willing to permit the Ambassador to be treated fairly, President Bush should give him a recess appointment at the earliest possible moment.

The U.S. State Department has a long history of effectively communicating the policies and priorities of the president to the rest of the world. Our nation is a leader diplomatically, militarily and economically, and it provides more humanitarian assistance to countries in need than any other. As former secretaries of state, we understand the important role that a full team of experienced and professional diplomats plays in the pursuit of the department’s mission around the globe, particularly at this time of national crisis and international cooperation. Ambassador Otto Juan Reich is President Bush’s nominee to be assistant secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs and will play an integral role in those efforts [“In the Loop,” Oct. 29].

Each of us has worked with Otto Reich and has found him to be a skilled diplomat with an impressive understanding of the Western Hemisphere. His breadth of knowledge led to success in government and in private enterprise. He earned the respect of the people and government of Venezuela when he served as U.S. ambassador under President Reagan. He inspired the confidence of those with whom he served at the U.S. Agency for International Development and the State Department during the Reagan administration. The former Bush administration continued to draw upon his expertise by asking him to serve as alternate U.S. representative to the U.N. Human Rights Commission in Geneva.

When Latin America faced the twin threats of terrorism and totalitarianism during the 1980s, Otto Reich was an effective leader in policies and diplomacy that ended conflicts and strengthened democracy in the region.

U.S. relations with Latin America are at an important moment of promise. There is an unprecedented opportunity for free trade, economic integration and cooperation. The countries of the Western Hemisphere have proven to be America’s stalwart friends and allies. Our efforts to build upon those existing relationships are more important than ever, and President Bush has picked the right man in Otto Reich for this crucial job. The Senate should confirm him without further delay.

GEORGE P. SHULTZ
JAMES A. BAKER III
LAWRENCE EAGLEBURGER

Washington

Secretary of State Shultz served under President Reagan and Secretaries of State Baker and Eagleburger served under President George H. W. Bush.