The OAS Endorses President Arias efforts and demands the restoration of the Constitutional Rule in Honduras
WASHINGTON, DC – The Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) convened Monday, July 20th in a session to analyze the political situation in Honduras. During the meeting, Secretary General, Jose Miguel Insulza, presented a report of the diplomatic negotiations done in Costa Rica that aim at restoring the constitutional rule in Honduras, and reiterated his “full confidence and endorsement” to the mediation role done by President Óscar Arias.
Following the presentation of the events that took place during the weekend in San José, Costa Rica, the Secretary General highlighted that “it is important to recognize the tremendous effort done by the President of Costa Rica to find an agreement” and described the proposal presented by the leader to find a negotiated solution to the Honduran crisis as being “balanced and valuable.”
“If the President asks for another 72 hours to make a last effort in the desired direction; at least from this Secretary General’s part he has full confidence and support to do it. We are in a very crucial moment, and we need to stay together behind President Arias’ proposal, one that President Manuel Zelaya has already accepted. We should make a frank call to the entire world to confer them the 72 hours that the President of Costa Rica is suggesting, before rushing to conclusions on this issue,” affirmed the Secretary General.
After Insulza’s presentation, the Permanent Representative of Costa Rica to the OAS, Ambassador José Enrique Castillo, informed the Council that “the negotiations of last weekend have not failed, they achieved substantial progress. The mediation is on the right track, and we can hope that they will conclude next Wednesday.”
The Representatives of México, Canada, Paraguay, Colombia, Nicaragua, Chile, El Salvador, Guyana, Brazil, Peru, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, United States, Guatemala, Ecuador, Uruguay, Bolivia, Argentina, Panamá, and Bolivia also made statements to demand the return of President Manuel Zelaya Rosales to his constitutional duties, the restoration of the democratic rule in the central American country, and the support to President Óscar Arias role.
Likewise, the Permanent Observers of France and Spain to the OAS made interventions to the Permanent Council to back the efforts made by the hemispheric institution and to claim democratic recovery in Honduras.
At the end of the meeting, the President of the Permanent Council and Ambassador of Chile to the OAS, Pedro Oyarce, thanked the Secretary General for his report and for the additional information provided by the Ambassador of Costa Rica. Ambassador Oyarce expressed that “we have a concrete proposal from President Arias that contains the essential elements in the framework of the OAS Resolution. The Permanent Council will continue to support all the efforts made to reestablish democracy in Honduras within the context of social peace. It will also remain attentive and the Secretary General will keep us informed” about the progress of the negotiations.
