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July 05, 2009
Viva Honduras! Honduras Leaves OAS After Body Decries Coup
Opponents of toppled Honduran President Manuel Zelaya rally in San Pedro Sula, Honduras
People against ousted Honduras President Manuel Zelaya gather outside of the presidential residence in support of the interim government in Tegucigalpa, Friday July 3, 2009.
Honduras leaves OAS after body decries coup
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras
Honduras rebuffed demands by the international community to reinstate President Manuel Zelaya and pulled out of the Organization of American States, thrusting the poor Central American nation deeper into political crisis and isolation.
Zelaya was traveling in Central America but planned to return to Honduras on Sunday, according to Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega. Honduras' interim government has said it will arrest Zelaya if he returns, setting up a potentially volatile showdown.
About 10,000 supporters of the president ousted in a military coup June 28 again marched in his support Saturday, blocking traffic close to the presidential palace, which is occupied by a caretaker president selected by Congress to replace Zelaya, but also heavily fortified and guarded by soldiers.
Diplomats from across the Americas had hinted they would suspend Honduras' OAS membership during an emergency Saturday meeting of the organization in Washington. But after rejecting the personal appeal of the group's secretary-general, Jose Miguel Insulza, the Honduran government decided to renounce its charter rather than wait to be punished.
In a letter to Insulza read on state television Friday night, interim Honduran President Roberto Micheletti wrote that "the OAS is a political organization, not a court, and it can't judge us."
"The government rejects the attempts of the OAS to impose unilateral resolutions," said the letter read by deputy foreign minister Martha Lorena Alvarado.
Micheletti said leaving the OAS means his country will not face economic sanctions that were expected if the group's membership had been suspended. The OAS still can encourage other organizations around the hemisphere to halt aid and loans to one of Latin America's poorest countries.
Also late Friday, a grenade exploded outside Immigration offices in Tegucigalpa, the capital, smashing windows and damaging the building's facade — the fifth such explosive attack since the coup, according to police.
The letter renouncing Honduras' OAS charter capped a long and frustrating Friday for Insulza, who flew to this country to demand that the interim government restore Zelaya, who was rousted from his bed by soldiers, handcuffed and flown into forced exile. The world community has demanded his return to office.
"We wanted to ask that this situation be reversed," Insulza told a news conference after meeting with Supreme Court President Jorge Rivas, the attorney general and other political leaders. "Unfortunately, one must say that there appears to be no willingness to do this."
Insulza said Honduran officials gave him documents showing that charges are pending or have been brought against Zelaya, which they say justified the coup. The military ouster came after Zelaya pushed for a referendum on constitutional reform that the Supreme Court, the attorney general and Congress had all said was illegal.
The Supreme Court, which authorized the coup, also said it would not agree to restore the toppled leftist leader despite Insulza's personal appeals.
"Insulza asked Honduras to reinstate Zelaya, but the president of the court categorically answered that there is an arrest warrant for him," court spokesman Danilo Izaguirre said.
During the trip, the Americas' top international diplomat also met with the two main candidates in Honduras' Nov. 29 elections and with the leftist Popular Block, an umbrella group of farm, labor and student groups that largely supports Zelaya.
But he did not see Roberto Micheletti in order to avoid legitimizing the government. Micheletti has vowed to serve out the six months remaining in Zelaya's term.
Foreign Minister Enrique Ortez, said that Insulza "cannot return to Honduras, and if he does he will be arrested and tried."
Ortez also claimed that members of the Zelaya administration stole at least $40 million in cash from the Central Bank during their last day in power and announced the new government was firing at least 10 ambassadors, including those to the OAS, the United Nations, Mexico and Panama.
Micheletti's supporters say the army was justified in ousting Zelaya because he was trying to use his referendum to extend his rule. Zelaya denies that and has said he will no longer press for constitutional changes.
Nations around the world have promised to shun Micheletti and Honduras already is suffering economic reprisals.
Neighboring countries have imposed trade blockades, major lenders have cut aid, the Obama administration has halted joint military operations and all European Union ambassadors have abandoned the country.
The U.S. Embassy in Honduras issued a statement expressing "deep concern over restrictions imposed on certain fundamental rights" by Micheletti's government, including a curfew in force since the coup, and "reports of intimidation and censorship against certain individuals and media outlets."
Honduras quits Organization of American States
Hours later, acting President Roberto Micheletti and vice chancellor Martha Lorena de Casco announced Honduras planned to withdraw from the region’s key diplomatic organization. The move preempts an OAS General Assembly meeting scheduled for Saturday, where Honduras was widely expected to be suspended from the group for overthrowing a democratically elected leader.
The OAS “tried to impose unilateral solutions. The government of Honduras repudiates such attempts to impose unilateral solutions and reaffirms its sovereignty,” de Casco said in a nationwide address. “The OAS is a political organizatioon, not a court of law. … There is no institutional crisis here.”
She ended her brief statement by invoking article 143 of the OAS charter — without elaborating what that article says. The OAS clause she cited calls for member nation to withdraw from the OAS after submitting a written complaint.
Wild Thing's comment.......
This is good news, it is a good start for even a small Nation such as Honduras to begin the task of telling the Leftist infested organizations of the World to screw off.
It’s time for other countries to step forward and flip off these “organizations” who have nothing better to do than to meddle in the affairs of sovereign nations.
I miss the days of Oliver North and Ronald Reagan.
the Honduran government decided to renounce its charter rather than wait to be punished.
I like that attitude: "You can't fire me, I quit..." LOL! Good for Honduras!
‘Micheletti wrote that “the OAS is a political organization, not a court, and it can’t judge us.”
I love this guy
Just to note, Venezuela is an honored member of the Organization Of American states. And Cuba has recently been made a member of good standing in the OAS.
The U.S. Embassy in Honduras issued a statement expressing "deep concern over restrictions imposed on certain fundamental rights" by Micheletti's government, including a curfew in force since the coup, and "reports of intimidation and censorship against certain individuals and media outlets."
Straight from the mind of Barack Hussein Obama.
Posted by Wild Thing at July 5, 2009 06:40 AM
Comments
Sadly Latin America is getting back into the dictator business again. This time they seem to be leaning left. I hope Honduras can hold out against the OAS, UN and obama. I spnt a few days there once and it is a pretty country with friendly people.
Posted by: TomR at July 5, 2009 12:01 PM
'Tis nice to see an awakening!!!
Quote: "The OAS clause she cited calls for member nation to withdraw from the OAS after submitting a written complaint."
We have the same clause for the UN, wouldn't it be ironic if it were included in one of those 'transparent' pork package deals that both parties are dead set to pass without reading.
Posted by: Jack at July 5, 2009 04:11 PM
Now, isn't that amazing, Zelaya supporters carry posters of the 'Butcher' Che Goovara, and the Good guys are carrying democracy signs.
Ho-chi-bama's supporters in Texas and other places had posters of Che on the wall. So who is Ho-chi-Obama supporting ...The Communist. This is not a surprise. We knew this from the get-go, but would they listen,....Hell NO.
Posted by: Mark at July 5, 2009 04:12 PM
Good for the Hondurans, now if we could just get The United States to leave the OAS, Hell leave the U.N. too and adopt our own foreign policy I call it "You're either with us or against us." but we'd be criticized for being too hardline on defense and thinking too strategically in favor of ourselves. Plus with out the U.S. both the U.N. and the OAS would go bankrupt.
Oh, and it really pisses me off to see stupid kids in this country wearing these stupid "che" t-shirts all the while condemning the U.S. Military for killing people. Che was a bastard.
Posted by: JohnE PFC U.S. Army at July 5, 2009 06:23 PM
Tom, I hope they can hold out too. Thanks
Tom for sharing about being there.
Posted by: Wild Thing at July 5, 2009 07:51 PM
Jack,yesss iti would, good one.
Posted by: Wild Thing at July 5, 2009 07:53 PM
Mark, thanks, that is why I picked
that particular photo. The Zelaya
supporters and Che, just like you
said. It all goes together like
Obama's campaign office and his
followers.
Posted by: Wild Thing at July 5, 2009 07:55 PM
JohnE PFC U.S. Army, good point,
I would love that to happen.
Posted by: Wild Thing at July 5, 2009 07:56 PM
