Honduras: a return with democracy.

• Author: Cattivelli, Adrian
• Position: OAS

"We all want Honduras, a founding member of the OAS, to return to the Organization," said Secretary General José Miguel Insulza, "But that will only be possible when Honduras has truly restored its democratic government and reversed the effects of the June 28 coup." His statement was made at an extraordinary session of the Permanent Council in which the 33 OAS member states discussed the political situation in Honduras in the aftermath of the presidential elections held there on November 29.

Assessing the steps the OAS has taken since the June 28, 2009 coup d'état , Insulza highlighted several important agreements reached by the member countries, such as: the condemnation of the illegitimate removal of the constitutional president, José Manuel Zelaya, an act the Organization classified unequivocally as a coup; and insistence on the reestablishment of constitutional order in Honduras, including, explicitly, President Zelaya's return to office.

Insulza also mentioned the "total non-recognition of the de facto regime and its actions; the suspension of Honduras' participation in the OAS in a strict application of the Inter-American Democratic Charter; and diplomatic negotiations towards achieving our goals."

Referring to the recent elections, Insulza warned that "an election does not, in and of itself, erase the forced deposal of a constitutional presidential, his expulsion from the country, and his continued residence behind the fences...