Sebastián Alegrett, Secretary General of the CAN, died in Lima today

Lima, August 7, 2002. The Secretary General of the Andean Community, Venezuelan Sebastián Alegrett, passed away early this morning, in Lima.

The wake will be held in the Parish Church of María Reyna, in the district of San Isidro as from 1 p.m. Following a Requiem Mass, the coffin will be flown to the city of Caracas, and the burial will take place in Cementerio del Este, on Calle La Guairita.

An economist by profession, Alegrett was an outstanding Venezuelan diplomat, known for his profound defense of the ideals of integration.

On July 7, on the occasion of the homage offered him by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Ministers of Trade of the Andean Community, Alegrett stated that during his five years presiding the CAN, he had set himself the goals of “intensifying integration, broadening the agenda, and strengthening the Community’s external projection,” in an effort to ensure that the General Secretariat would become a “modern institution, agile and efficient, worthy of the respect and confidence of the member countries.”

On that occasion, Bolivia decorated him with the Libertador Simón Bolívar Order of Civil Merit, in the Degree of Gran Cruz for "his lifetime spent working for integration" which "has been a preponderant factor for the convergence of the region’s interests, translated into palpable results that have brought benefits to all the Andean countries.”

Bolivia’s Foreign Minister, Gustavo Fernández, pointed out that the decoration “which bears the name of the Venezuelan Simón Bolívar, who liberated my country, has now been awarded to another illustrious Venezuelan, another fighter for the freedom and unity of the Americas, who raised this standard with the same spirit of the man who once fired the continent with the inspiration of his actions and his words.” Peru decorated Mr. Alegrett with the Order of Merit for Distinguished Services in the Degree of Gran Cruz, and stated that his administration “has helped strengthen the links between Peru and the Andean Community.”

Alegrett was the first Secretary General of the CAN. He was elected by the five presidents following the institutional reforms of the Trujillo Protocol, whereby the Andean Pact became the Andean Community.

Born in Caracas, Venezuela, in 1942, an economist, with a postgraduate degree in Planning, Ambassador Alegrett was Director of Integration of the Institute of Foreign Trade of Venezuela (1971-1974), Chairman of the Institute of Foreign Trade of Venezuela (1979-1983), and Permanent Secretary of the Latin American Economic System, SELA (1983-1987).

He was the Permanent Representative of Venezuela in the OAS (1994-1996) and Venezuelan Ambassador to Brazil (1990-1994) and Colombia (1996-1997). He took part in, and headed, Venezuelan delegations to regional and international forums such as LAFTA, SELA, OAS, UNO, GATT, UNCTAD, among others, and at bilateral economic and trade negotiations.

For several years he lectured as a university professor at Universidad Católica Andrés Bello and Universidad Central de Venezuela.

His death has caused consternation in international political circles. Many expressions of sympathy have been sent to his family and to the General Secretariat which he had directed since August 1, 1997.