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OAS SECRETARY GENERAL TO TRAVEL TO HONDURAS

  July 2, 2009

The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, will travel Friday to Honduras to continue carrying on the mandate of the OAS Special General Assembly that instructed him to undertake diplomatic initiatives aimed at restoring democracy and the rule of law and the reinstatement of President Jose Manuel Zelaya Rosales as Head of State.

During his less than 24-hour stay, Secretary General Insulza will notify the Honduran stakeholders of the terms of the resolution adopted by the OAS Special General Assembly on Tuesday, June 30.

The OAS Secretary General has undertaken since Wednesday intense conversations with the aforementioned sectors, as well as Ministers of Foreign Relations of OAS Member States, aiming at the normalization of the situation within Honduras, altered since the coup d’Etat Sunday that ousted constitutional President José Manuel Zelaya..

Representatives from all Member States instructed Secretary General Insulza to conduct “diplomatic initiatives aimed at restoring democracy and the rule of law and the reinstatement of President Jose Manuel Zelaya Rosales, pursuant to Article 20 of the Inter-American Democratic Charter and report to the Special General Assembly on the results of the initiatives.”

“Should these (initiatives) prove unsuccessful within 72 hours”, the resolution says, “the Special General Assembly shall forthwith invoke Article 21 of the Inter-American Democratic Charter to suspend Honduras’ membership.”

Mr. Insulza will travel to Honduras from Guyana, where he attended Thursday the Summit of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). The OAS Secretary General will use a plane provided by the Brazilian Government.

Reference: E-218/09