OAS Secretary General expresses concern over stall in Honduras negotiations

[struggle4progress]

Published on Thursday, October 22, 2009 Email To Friend Print Version

WASHINGTON, USA -- The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, recalled that the process of dialogue established among Hondurans last October 7 in the presence of the Secretary General and Foreign Ministers of the OAS, as well as of the Spanish Secretary of State for Ibero-America and of a representative of the United Nations, began with good prospects and a constructive spirit among the negotiating teams, who have achieved an important consensus in all points except that which refers to the restitution of President Zelaya.

“In the first few days,” Insulza said, “consensus was achieved in most topics, and even last week a possible agreement could be glimpsed around the most controversial subject, the return of President Zelaya, in a text that adhered to constitutional prerogatives.”

“That progress had an undoubtedly positive effect on Honduran public opinion, which longs for a prompt solution to the political problems that assail the country. Other positive events, such as the repeal of an emergency decree and the return to the air of Radio Globo, were part of this favorable climate.”

“Nevertheless, in recent days there have been some negative events that we hope will be overcome: during the process of dialogue, one of the parties involved offered a proposal that touches on a subject not part of the San Jose Accord, hoping to force a legitimization of what happened on June 28, 2009. This claim makes it unfeasible for the dialogue to produce a positive result,” Insulza declared ...

http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/news-19429--38-38--.html

[rabs]

1. Golpistas lash back at Insulza

The golpista negotiating team say Insulza should show "better judgement and more prudence" and accuse him of an "inoportune intervention" in the negotiations.

From golpista newspaper El Heraldo:

http://www.elheraldo.hn/Ediciones/2009/10/21/Noticias/Solicitan-mejor-juicio-y-prudencia-a-Insulza

[struggle4progress]

2. Within a week of the coup, Insulza was on the ground trying to get people talking to each other

He's scarcely a mad interloper

[rabs]

3. That was pretty strong language Insulza used today, diplomatically speaking

I thought he and the OAS members were doing okay, until Hillary yanked the rug out from under the OAS with the Arias/San Jose Accord, which only served the golpistas to stall and stall and stall ....

Meantime, DeMint is chiming in;

Jim DeMint is ready to release his holds against two top administration Latin America appointees, the South Carolina senator told The Cable, and he predicts the State Department will soon recognize the upcoming Honduran elections as legitimate.

(The appointees are Arturo Valenzuela to replace Shannon and Shannon himself as ambassador to Brazil. The U.S. at the current time does not have an ambassador in Brasilia, thanks to DeMint.)

snip ---

He predicted that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would come out in support of the elections once the two sides in Honduras come to terms, but noted that Shannon wasn't yet ready to go that far.

More:
http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2009/10/20/demint_hints_at_releasing_holds_sees_movement_in_us_policy_on_honduras

[struggle4progress]

4. If Demint is holding up appointments because he thinks he, Jim, should dictate US foreign policy,

then I predict somebody's eventually gonna hand him his ass on a pretty plate