Honduras ambassador to OAS assures president Zelaya will return to power soon and denounces Honduran media as part of coup

The Organization of the American States – OAS, protested today the coup d’etat in Honduras, which expelled democratic elected president Manuel Zelaya to neighbor country Costa Rica.

Photo OAS

I spoke to the Honduran ambassador to the OAS, Carlos Sosa Coello who said at the end of the OAS emergency meeting that he was “pleased and grateful” with the unanimous support of the OAS countries members, and that a military coup in the 21st century makes Honduras “look like a backwards country in politics”.

Sosa said that he has spoken with president Zelaya who “will return to Honduras soon,” added while denouncing that some of the media in Honduras “are part of the coup”.

U.S. rejects coup

The coup in Honduras which was organized by right-wing political parties and the military has been rejected by the Obama administration. Early today, the White House submitted the following statement from President Obama on Honduras:

"I am deeply concerned by reports coming out of Honduras regarding the detention
and expulsion of President Mel Zelaya. As the Organization of American States
did on Friday, I call on all political and social actors in Honduras to respect
democratic norms, the rule of law and the tenets of the Inter-American
Democratic Charter. Any existing tensions and disputes must be resolved
peacefully through dialogue free from any outside interference."

This afternoon a group of protesters gathered in front of the White House to show their solidarity with the people of Honduras. Minutes after the demonstration, the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issued the following statement regarding the detention of President Zelaya of Honduras:

"The action taken against Honduran President Mel Zelaya violates the precepts of
the Inter-American Democratic Charter, and thus should be condemned by all. We
call on all parties in Honduras to respect the constitutional order and the rule
of law, to reaffirm their democratic vocation, and to commit themselves to
resolve political disputes peacefully and through dialogue. Honduras must
embrace the very principles of democracy we reaffirmed at the OAS meeting it
hosted less than one month ago.”

Tomorrow there will be a vigil at the Embassy of Honduras in Washington, DC, to request the restitution of president Manuel Zelaya into power.


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