José Miguel Insulza, Secretary-General of the Organization of American States (OAS), hoped Venezuela "to continue to be a democratic country," and clarified he does not intend to widen the gap at OAS regarding the case of Caracas-based TV station RCTV, "because what this continent needs is unity."
 
"I am among the people who did not like the move on RCTV (which stopped broadcasts last May 27, after Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez refused to renew the broadcast license for the TV channel), but nobody believes this is a reason to provoke a division in the institution (OAS)," Insulza told Spanish newspaper El País during an interview conducted in Washington and published on June 10.

While he endorses the idea that the discontinuation of RCTV was "an administrative decision," Insulza also believes that such a move "became a political punishment from the very moment the Venezuelan government made it based on political allegations."

Insulza reminded that non-renewal of RCTV broadcast license came after Chávez accused the TV network of supporting a failed coup d'etat in 2002. He added that he is keeping close communication with OAS member countries to assess any likely decisions on Venezuela.

He would not rule out the possibility to visit Venezuela any time in order to study the situation, but warned he would not travel to Venezuela in the short term. "I hope Venezuela to continue to be a democratic country. My mission will not be that of exacerbating the process of rupture, because what this continent needs is unity," Insulza told El País.