Clinton Urges OAS to Forget Coup, Readmit Honduras

Clinton Urges OAS to Forget Coup, Readmit Honduras
Written by Rosemary A. Joyce and Russell N. Sheptak
Wednesday, 09 June 2010 08:47

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaking at the Organization of American States (OAS) annual meeting in Lima, Peru on Monday urged countries in the hemisphere to readmit Honduras into the regional organization. The OAS suspended Honduras after the military coup which overthrew President Manuel Zelaya last June.

"We saw the free and fair election of President Lobo, and we have watched President Lobo fulfill his obligations under the Tegucigalpa-San Jose Accord – including forming a government of national reconciliation and a truth commission. This has demonstrated a strong and consistent commitment to democratic governance and constitutional order," said Clinton.

This is a message the U.S. has been consistently advancing for months.

"Other countries in the region say that they want to wait a while. I don’t know what they’re waiting for, but that’s their right, to wait," said Clinton during a visit to Costa Rica in March. "We believe that President Lobo and his administration have taken the steps necessary to restore democracy."

The problem is that Brazil, Argentina, Mexico and other countries in the region disagree.

"Honduras's return to the OAS must be linked to specific means for ensuring re-democratisation and the establishment of fundamental rights" said Brazil's deputy foreign minister Antonio de Aguiar Patriota.

These nations want to see former President Zelaya free to return to Honduras. They want recent dismissals of judges opposed to the coup to be reversed. And they are also waiting for human rights violations to be investigated and the perpetrators brought to justice.

More:
http://upsidedownworld.org/main/honduras-archives-46/2531-clinton-urges-oas-to-forget-coup-readmit-honduras-

that the USA is still in the OAS.