Honduras readmitted to OAS; only country to vote against was Ecuador

Thursday, June 2nd 2011 - 04:36 UTC

Full article 2 comments

An accord signed between ousted Manuel Zelaya and the current elected president Porfirio Lobo opened the way

The Organization of American States voted Wednesday to readmit Honduras into the regional body. Ecuador was the only country to vote against the measure, which was approved 31-1.

Honduras was suspended from the OAS after the 2009 coup that ousted President Manuel Zelaya.

Back then, the block found that Zelaya's ouster and the de facto government that followed violated the Inter-American Democratic Charter, a document designed to uphold democratic institutions in the hemisphere.

Venezuela voted for reinstatement, but with reservations because of what it called the impunity of the coup plotters.

Honduras' return to the fold was expected after Zelaya was able to return last week to his homeland without fear of prosecution.

Zelaya this month inked an accord with the country's current president that allowed him to return. Most recently, he had been in exile in the Dominican Republic.

The deal, which was brokered by the Colombian and Venezuelan governments, was signed in Cartagena, Colombia, by Zelaya and Honduran President Porfirio Lobo.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton applauded the development.

“This moment has been a long time coming. It is an important milestone for Honduras, for the OAS, and for the Americas,” Clinton said in a statement. “The crisis and coup in Honduras was a test for the OAS and its ability to act swiftly and decisively to safeguard our shared democratic values.”

Categories: Politics, Latin America.

Tags: Honduras, Manuel Zelaya, OEA, Porfirio Lobo.

Top Comments

Disclaimer & comment rules

Redhoyt
“ ... our shared democratic values ....”

ha ha ha ha ..... politicians eh, don't ya love 'em :-)
Jun 02nd, 2011 - 04:46 am 0
GeoffWard
Which ones amongst the 13 SA/32 OAS countries believes in these fundimental principles of democracy sufficiently to practice what they preach?

1 Ecuador ?
2 Colombia ?
3 Venezuela ?
4 Brazil ?
5 Peru ?
6 Chile ?
7 Uruguay ?
8 Paraguay ?
9 Argentina ?
10 Bolivia ?
11 Guyana ?
12 French Guiana ?
13 Suriname ?

Some are true democracies,
some are failed democracies,
some are 'hybrid' states,
some are autocracic totalitarian states,
some are autocratic revolutionary states,
some are dictatorships,
some are communist states.

Which amongst this list are the true democracies - the ones that are true enough to honestly vote on Honduras & the Inter-American Democratic Charter?

I have just a little feeling that around 32/32 subscribe to the premise “Do as I say, not as I do”.

Please, fellow bloggers - give me your list of *Democratic* members of our IADC.
Jun 02nd, 2011 - 07:08 pm 0

Read all comments

Commenting for this story is now closed.
If you have a Facebook account, become a fan and comment on our Facebook Page!