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New Permanent Representative of Honduras to the OAS Presents Credentials

The new Permanent Representative of the Republic of Honduras to the Organization of American States (OAS), Ambassador Jorge Ramón Hernández Alcerro, presented his credentials today to Secretary General José Miguel Insulza after the Organization’s Member States lifted the Central American’s suspension of its right of participation.

Also present at the ceremony, held in the office of the Secretary General in Washington, DC, were María Antonienta de Bográn, First Vice President of Honduras; Mario Miguel Canahuati, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Honduras; Gillian Bristol, Chair of the Permanent Council and Permanent Representative of Grenada to the OAS; as well as Permanent Representatives of various member countries of the Organization and other authorities.

Secretary General Insulza recalled that the 41st OAS General Assembly will begin in San Salvador this June 5th, and in this sense asserted that “this is the best time” for Honduras’s return since it will be able to participate in the meeting of foreign ministers. “That is very important to me, we are very happy to receive Honduras here and we already have projects and ideas of things we can do together, increasing the presence of Honduras in the Organization.”

Also, the head of the OAS highlighted the significance of the principal regional institution upon recalling that “in less than a month we have closed two pending issues, the installation of a new government in Haiti after the earthquake, in which the OAS had a very fundamental role, and the return of Honduras to the Organization. I think after all it is evident in moments of crisis how important this Organization is, since without her many of the positive things we have seen recently would not have happened in the same way.”

For his part, Ambassador Hernández Alcerro, who is also his country’s representative to the White House, asserted that “Honduras returns home, and she returns home as a democratic republic with her head up high and with all the dignity of a people.”

“I wish to express to you, Mister Secretary General, and to my colleagues at the Organization of American States, that the goal is to reintegrate our country in its relations with every one of the Member States and to try to contribute as much as possible so the Organization may be stronger each day, and each day make further progress in the fulfillment of the objectives that gave it origin,” he concluded.

A gallery of photos of the event is available here.

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.

Reference: E-699/11