Media Center

Press Release

OAS SECRETARY GENERAL INSULZA RATIFIES MEASURES AGAINST HONDURAS AND WISHES WELL TO PRESIDENT ARIAS

The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, reported Wednesday to the Permanent Council of the institution about the implementation of the sanctions against the “de facto” government of Honduras and about the development of the initiatives undertaken to restore the constitutional President of Honduras, José Manuel Zelaya. Furthermore, Mr. Insulza announced after speaking to the President of Costa Rica, Oscar Arias, that the conversations looking for a solution will resume Saturday in San José.

The Secretary General pledged his support to the Costa Rican leader and said he is moderately optimistic about the conversations in San José, although he acknowledged that reaching an agreement in such a deep conflict in only the second meeting will be difficult.

Mr. Insulza also asked Member States to remain “calm” because “strong sanctions” were already taken against the “de facto” government, which constitutes a “pressure that might help the ongoing work to bear fruit.”

The OAS Secretary General insisted that the two keys for a positive resolution of the crisis are: full support of the process managed by President Arias and unanimous support to the principles established in the resolutions adopted by the Permanent Council and the Special General Assembly of July 4.

Mr. Insulza also conveyed a message from President Arias to the Permanent Council thanking Member States for their support and said that “one might be moderately optimistic” about the outcome of the initiatives, although he made very clear that “it is a very complex and difficult process” that “will certainly take some time.”

“It would be adventurous to say that that problem will be solved soon, but it will not be adventurous to say that we will have some steps towards a solution,” Mr. Insulza said.

The Secretary General also denounced a “propaganda offensive” to create some legitimacy for the “de facto” government that resulted from the coup d’Etat in June 28 that ousted President Zelaya.

“Fortunately, no country hesitated”, said Mr. Insulza, that emphasized that “there were no cracks in the international community”, and that all institutions within the Inter-American System, as well as others at regional and global level maintained a united front against the coup d’Etat. “The worst we can do is have different positions among us and be inconsistent with our own decisions,” he said.

The OAS Assistant Secretary General, Ambassador Albert R. Ramdin, presented to the Permanent Council a detailed report about all the initiatives undertaken by the OAS even before the coup d’Etat on June 28. Ambassador Ramdin also reported on how the suspension of membership of Honduras at the OAS was applied immediately after it was adopted by the Special General Assembly on July 4.


After the report by both OAS authorities, most delegations took the floor to support the initiatives undertaken by President Arias and the OAS Secretary General. “I think we have noticed a collective and united will to restore democracy in Honduras”, summarized the new Chair of the Permanent Council and Permanent Representative of Chile to the OAS, Pedro Oyarce, who promised that “the Council will keep working daily to defend democracy in Honduras.”

Also took the floor during the sessions the Permanent Representatives of Brazil, Uruguay, Mexico, Peru, United States, Guatemala, Guyana (on behalf of the Caribbean Community, CARICOM), Canada, Chile, El Salvador, Costa Rica (on behalf of the Central American Integration System, SICA), Venezuela, Santa Lucia, Argentina, Bolivia (on behalf of the Latin American Association of Integration, ALADI), Saint Kitts and Nevis, Nicaragua, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Grenada.

Reference: E-231/09