Reply #33: Ibero-American Nations Divided,OAS's Insulza: open to dialogue with Lobos “to build democracy.” [View All]

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Ibero-American Nations Divided on Honduras
http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=348251&CategoryId=12394


ESTORIL, Portugal – The weekend presidential elections in Honduras, scene of a June 28 military coup, dominated Monday’s talks at the Ibero-American Summit in this Portuguese resort city.

While the United States, Panama, Colombia and Costa Rica accept the process as valid, an even-larger bloc of countries rejected the balloting as tainted.

..... The right-wing government of Panama was the first to recognize the result ....

The secretary-general of the Organization of American States, Jose Miguel Insulza, declared from Estoril that the OAS – which suspended Honduras after the coup – is open to dialogue with Lobos “to build democracy.”

The decisions taken by Lobo “will be fundamental for (allowing) the international community to validate the new government,” Insulza told Chile’s Radio Cooperativa.

The OAS Permanent Council will meet Friday to analyze the results of the Honduran elections.

............

The participants intend to agree on a “common position” regarding the matter in the final declaration, but there are “difficulties” because of the division among nations regarding the legitimacy of the elections, Portuguese Foreign Minister Luis Amado said.

Countries such as Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Cuba, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Uruguay and Venezuela are against legitimizing the elections and are demanding Zelaya’s reinstatement in power.

That stance is also supported by a key U.S. ally, Mexican President Felipe Calderon, who on Monday said that holding elections in Honduras is not sufficient for reestablishing the constitutional order and warned of the “retreat” of democracy in Latin America .... Calderon said that Mexico is demanding the reestablishment of the constitutional order in Honduras and questioned how free Sunday’s balloting really was.

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero lobbied in Estoril for a “great national accord” in Honduras as the only way to achieve a “democratic peace” ... He also demanded “a great consensus” ........