Grenada on Thursday signed an agreement with the Organization of American States (OAS), formalizing the terms under which the Washington-based hemispheric organization is fielding a team of observers to cover the island’s July 8 general elections. Signing this agreement is “a demonstration of commitment to the democratic process,” asserted Grenada’s Permanent Representative to the OAS, Ambassador Denis Antoine. Signing along with OAS Executive Secretary for Integral Development Ambassador Alfonso Quiñónez -- at OAS headquarters -- the Grenadian envoy went on to describe the agreement as also indicative of the government’s “readiness to facilitate the presence of the OAS in Grenada for the general election.” The OAS Electoral Observation Mission in Grenada is being led by Assistant Secretary General Albert R. Ramdin, who was scheduled to arrive in Grenada on Thursday. The deputy chief of mission is Steven Griner, a senior specialist with the organization’s Secretariat for Political Affairs. Antoine explained that by inviting the OAS to observe the country’s electoral process, the government is also stating its openness for the Member States and for the world to see that Grenada has a fully functional democracy. “Grenada is indeed a Member State of the OAS that has demonstrated consecutive free and fair elections, and this one is going to be another demonstration of the process of democracy at work in our country,” he remarked. Meanwhile, Ambassador Quiñónez, who signed on behalf of Secretary General José Miguel Insulza, underscored the OAS’ monitoring of the upcoming Grenada elections as another important expression of the organization’s commitment to supporting the Member States’ efforts to strengthen their democratic processes and democracy as a whole. “And the main expression of that are free and fair elections,” he stated. Further indication of the importance that the OAS ascribes to its commitment to this electoral process is that the mission for this Grenada election will be the largest electoral observation mission that the OAS has ever sent to a Caribbean country, according to Quiñónez. He said the organization views it as important not just because of the elections themselves but also because of its longstanding support to strengthen the island’s democratic process. Among those witnessing the agreement signing was the Permanent Council’s Chairman, Ambassador Nestor Mendez of Belize. Reprinted from Caribbean Net News caribbeannetnews.com