Venezuela to OAS: Increase International Pressure on the Honduran Dictatorship

Caracas, September 29, 2009
(venezuelanalysis.com) – Venezuela's Ambassador to the Organisation of American
States (OAS), Roy Chaderton Matos, criticised the OAS in Washington Monday for
its "cautious and moderate" stance towards the coup regime of Roberto
Micheletti in Honduras.

"It is necessary to further
increase the pressure of the international community against the dictatorship
in Honduras, and for each country separately to also exert pressure," in order
to reinstate the democratically elected president of Honduras Manuela Zelaya,
said Chaderton during a special session of the Permanent Council of the OAS on
Honduras.

In particular the Venezuelan
diplomat criticised the "respect" of members of the OAS towards the
dictatorship in Honduras and its leader, Roberto Micheletti.

"Given what is happening, the
factors that explain the survival of this de facto regime are the dictatorship
of the media and the respect it has had from members of this organisation, who
have called on Zelaya to behave well and glorified Micheletti," said Chaderton.

As the coup regime decreed a
state of emergency on Monday morning, suspending constitutional guarantees and
shutting down critical radio and television stations, interim US Ambassador to
the OAS, Lewis Amselem, launched an attack on Zelaya during the OAS debate,
saying his "return to Honduras is irresponsible and foolish and it doesn't
serve to the interest of the people nor those who seek the restoration of
democratic order in Honduras."

"The president should stop
acting as though he were starring in an old movie," Amselem added.

U.S. state department
spokesperson Phillip Crowley defended Amselem's comments on Tuesday saying, "What
he said yesterday is fully consistent with our concern that, you know, both
sides need to take constructive action, affirmative action."

Despite more than 10 hours of
debate, the 33 member hemispheric organisation failed to reach consensus on a
resolution on the Honduran crisis, with the U.S., Canada, Peru, Costa Rica and
the Bahamas abstaining on the question of whether to recognise the outcome of
the November elections in Honduras which will be presided over the coup regime.

The majority of countries of
Central and South America and the Caribbean have insisted they will not
recognise the results saying that free and fair elections under the coup regime
are impossible.

Instead, a short statement was
read demanding guarantees for the life of President Zelaya and respect for the
"inviolability" of the Brazilian Embassy in Tegucigalpa, where he has been
staying since his return on September 21.

Shortly before the end of the
OAS meeting, the coup regime of Honduras announced that it would invite an OAS
delegation to the country, only one day after expelling three OAS
representatives.

Micheletti also announced that
he would "revise" or "modify" the state of emergency decree by the end of the
week, after the Honduran Congress called on the coup government to repeal the
measure. Opposition radio and televisions stations, Radio Globo and Cholusat,
raided by the military on Monday remained closed in Honduras on Tuesday.

The OAS mission is expected to travel to Tegucigalpa on Friday.