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Honduras expels OAS workers, ultimatum for Brazil
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-09-28 13:37
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras: Honduras' interim government on Sunday expelled personnel from the Organization of American States looking to set up a mediation effort and gave Brazil a 10-day ultimatum to decide what to do with ousted President Manuel Zelaya, who is holed up in the Brazilian Embassy. OAS Special Adviser John Biehl told reporters in the capital, Tegucigalpa, that he and four other members of an advance team -- including two Americans, a Canadian and a Colombian -- were stopped by authorities after landing at Tegucigalpa's airport Sunday. Biehl, who is Chilean, said he was later told he could stay, but the others were put aboard flights out of the country.
"For reasons I completely do not know, as we were getting in a line for the flight (out), a colonel in civilian dress called my name ... and said I could decide then and there if I wanted to stay." Biehl said he was in Honduras to set up a visit by OAS Secretary-General Jose Miguel Insulza, who he said would arrive "at the appropriate time." Interim government Foreign Minister Carlos Lopez said the four were turned back because they had been "clearly warned" that they had to give advance notice of their visit, and didn't. He said Biehl had been allowed to stay because he had played a role in the San Jose talks mediated by Costa Rican President Oscar Arias. Interim President Roberto Micheletti has previously said the OAS was welcome to come, but suggested that representatives begin arriving Monday. Lopez said the team's arrival didn't come "at the right time ... because we are in the middle of internal conversations." Talks between Zelaya and Micheletti's representatives have produced no results. Zelaya, who surprised the world by sneaking back into Honduras last week, called on his followers nationwide to mark Monday's three-month anniversary of the coup with a mass march in the capital to demand his reinstatement, what he called "the final offensive" against the interim government. A spokesman for Micheletti also warned Brazilian authorities to "immediately take measures to ensure that Mr. Zelaya stops using the protection offered by the diplomatic mission to instigate violence in Honduras." Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva immediately rejected the missive, saying his government "doesn't accept ultimatums from coup-plotters." Micheletti didn't specify what he would do after 10 days. He has said previously that he plans to arrest Zelaya, who was deposed in a June 28 coup. Zelaya faces treason and abuse of authority charges for ignoring court orders to drop plans for a referendum on rewriting the constitution. Lopez said Brazil has 10 days to "turn Zelaya over to the judicial authorities of Honduras" or decide some other arrangement for him. The government has said it has no plans to raid the Embassy and that Zelaya could leave if Brazil offers him political asylum. Flores also said that, because Brazil has broken off diplomatic relations with the interim government, it would have to remove the Brazilian flag and shield from the Embassy "and it (the building) becomes a private office." Brazil, like the rest of the international community, recognizes Zelaya as Honduras' legitimate president, and says it wants to protect him. But the Brazilian government said previously that Zelaya's arrival took Embassy officials by surprise, and Silva asked Zelaya "to take care to give no pretext to the coup leaders to engage in violence." On Tuesday, the day after Zelaya's return, baton-wielding soldiers used tear gas and water cannons to chase away thousands of his supporters outside the Embassy. Since then, the diplomatic mission has been surrounded by police and soldiers. Zelaya and about 65 supporters inside accused authorities of temporarily cutting off water and electricity early in the week, and later said the government released an unidentified gas that caused headaches, nosebleeds and nausea. |
