| |
WASHINGTON: The head of the Organization of American States (OAS) on Saturday called for Honduras to be excluded from the regional bloc, nearly a week after President Manuel Zelaya was ousted by the military.
"No other alternative exists" but to exclude Honduras over its refusal to reinstate Zelaya, OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza said during a meeting of the group.
Throwing his backing behind the beleaguered Honduran leader, Insulza said "the de facto authorities in Tegucigalpa are not disposed to restore Zelaya."
Insulza spoke to a general assembly of the bloc's member states after returning from a brief trip to Honduras Friday during which he sought -- in vain -- to persuade the interim government to bring Zelaya back to power, and warned of increasing tension and polarization.
Zelaya, who was also in Washington, said he was "optimistic" on the eve of his planned return to Honduras.
"I am very optimistic because everyone has repudiated and rejected these acts" Zelaya said, referring to the military-backed coup.
The Honduran leader earlier told a television news station in Venezuela that he would return to his country on Sunday, and do so with "several presidents" of allied countries.
"I am planning my return to Honduras... We will arrive at the international airport in Tegucigalpa, Honduras with several presidents (and) members of international organizations," he told Caracas-based station Telesur.
The emergency OAS meeting was also attended by Argentine President Cristina Kirchner and Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo. Diplomatic sources in Ecuador said President Rafael Correa would arrive in the US capital early Sunday.
Meanwhile, Catholic leaders in Honduras warned of a potential bloodbath if Zelaya returned to the country.
"We think that a return to the country at the moment could provoke a bloodbath," Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez -- the capital's archbishop -- said on national radio and television, reading a message from the country's Bishops' Conference.
"To this day no Honduran has died. Please think, because afterwards it will be too late," Rodriguez added.
- AFP/yt
|
