.Brazilian delegates visit embassy in Honduras
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) - A Brazilian delegation said Thursday it has received assurances from Honduras' Supreme Court that the interim government will not attack the embassy where ousted President Manuel Zelaya has holed up since sneaking back into the country on Sept. 21.
Supreme Court President Jorge Rivera told delegates "there is no possibility of an invasion" of Brazil's embassy, according to Congressman Raul Jungmann, part a team of Brazilian legislators on a fact-finding mission to Honduras that included a visit to the compound where Zelaya and 60 supporters are ensconced demanding he be returned to power.
The Honduran court also agreed to consider appeals against the constitutionality of an emergency decree issued Sunday that limits civil liberties including freedom of the press and assembly, but would not immediately strike down the measure. Court Justice Gustavo Bustillo did not give any time limit for those deliberations.
Interim President Roberto Micheletti, who issued the decree, has given no signs of revoking it. He told reporters it remains in effect, effectively outlawing large-scale opposition protests. He said he has accepted calls from Congress to rescind the measure and would resolve the issue by week's end.
The Honduran government has previously said it will not raid the embassy, but Micheletti says Zelaya will be arrested when he leaves it.
Congressman Ivan Valente, another of the Brazilian lawmakers, said Brazil had no choice but to allow Zelaya to take refuge there because he is the country's legally recognized president.
Brazil is among a slew of nations that have spoken out against the coup and are demanding Zelaya's reinstatement.
Officials from the South American country began expressing concern about the status and safety of the Embassy after the interim government fired tear gas and used loudspeakers in an apparent attempt to harass Zelaya and the supporters who are staying with him.
"This has created a complex situation," said Valente, of Brazil's Party of Socialism and Liberty. He said that with their visit, the delegates "hope to contribute to a lowering of tensions."
Valente said there was evidence the Embassy building had been subjected to "toxic gas" attacks, adding: "We hope that will not be repeated. This is very serious."
Following a visit to the embassy, Jungmann acknowledged that political activity - apparently a reference to Zelaya's calls from inside the embassy for his followers to resist the interim government - had put Brazil in a difficult position, and he called on all sides for calm.
Meanwhile, in Geneva, the top U.N. human rights body condemned abuses following the June 28 coup. The 47-nation U.N. Human Rights Council on Thursday unanimously endorsed a proposal by Latin American countries, including Cuba, calling for an immediate end to all human rights violations.
The Geneva-based council, of which the United States is a member, also called for the restoration of Zelaya's government.
Several compromise proposals have surfaced as Honduras struggles to emerge from 10 tumultuous days since Zelaya returned and mounted his boldest challenge yet to the interim government, which responded by imposing curfews, suspending civil liberties, banning demonstrations and closing opposition news media.
Adolfo Facusse, a Honduran business leader, said Thursday he was still pushing a compromise proposal that would allow Zelaya to return to office with strictly limited powers.
"Our proposal follows the San Jose Agreement, which implies that Zelaya would return, but we would take away the main powers and give them to a board of ministers, who would be running the government until the new president takes office," Facusse.
However, he did not mention the part of his plan that envisioned allowing thousands of foreign troops or peacekeepers into Honduras to oversee such an agreement. Micheletti had dismissed that part of the plan, saying it was not allowed by the country's Constitution.
Catholic Church leaders have weighed in with a proposal to jump-start negotiations, part of a growing movement by crisis-weary Hondurans to resolve the political standoff and end the country's crippling isolation.
The coup-installed government, which has shrugged off the international condemnation, now is coming under increasing pressure from political, civic and business leaders who had supported Zelaya's ouster and now back plans to return him to power with limited authority.
As part of the attempt to return to normality, Micheletti's government has dropped the nighttime curfew since Zelaya returned to Honduras.
MyWay
Empire of the Sun
Supreme Court President Jorge Rivera told delegates "there is no possibility of an invasion" of Brazil's embassy, according to Congressman Raul Jungmann, part a team of Brazilian legislators on a fact-finding mission to Honduras that included a visit to the compound where Zelaya and 60 supporters are ensconced demanding he be returned to power.
The Honduran court also agreed to consider appeals against the constitutionality of an emergency decree issued Sunday that limits civil liberties including freedom of the press and assembly, but would not immediately strike down the measure. Court Justice Gustavo Bustillo did not give any time limit for those deliberations.
Interim President Roberto Micheletti, who issued the decree, has given no signs of revoking it. He told reporters it remains in effect, effectively outlawing large-scale opposition protests. He said he has accepted calls from Congress to rescind the measure and would resolve the issue by week's end.
The Honduran government has previously said it will not raid the embassy, but Micheletti says Zelaya will be arrested when he leaves it.
Congressman Ivan Valente, another of the Brazilian lawmakers, said Brazil had no choice but to allow Zelaya to take refuge there because he is the country's legally recognized president.
Brazil is among a slew of nations that have spoken out against the coup and are demanding Zelaya's reinstatement.
Officials from the South American country began expressing concern about the status and safety of the Embassy after the interim government fired tear gas and used loudspeakers in an apparent attempt to harass Zelaya and the supporters who are staying with him.
"This has created a complex situation," said Valente, of Brazil's Party of Socialism and Liberty. He said that with their visit, the delegates "hope to contribute to a lowering of tensions."
Valente said there was evidence the Embassy building had been subjected to "toxic gas" attacks, adding: "We hope that will not be repeated. This is very serious."
Following a visit to the embassy, Jungmann acknowledged that political activity - apparently a reference to Zelaya's calls from inside the embassy for his followers to resist the interim government - had put Brazil in a difficult position, and he called on all sides for calm.
Meanwhile, in Geneva, the top U.N. human rights body condemned abuses following the June 28 coup. The 47-nation U.N. Human Rights Council on Thursday unanimously endorsed a proposal by Latin American countries, including Cuba, calling for an immediate end to all human rights violations.
The Geneva-based council, of which the United States is a member, also called for the restoration of Zelaya's government.
Several compromise proposals have surfaced as Honduras struggles to emerge from 10 tumultuous days since Zelaya returned and mounted his boldest challenge yet to the interim government, which responded by imposing curfews, suspending civil liberties, banning demonstrations and closing opposition news media.
Adolfo Facusse, a Honduran business leader, said Thursday he was still pushing a compromise proposal that would allow Zelaya to return to office with strictly limited powers.
"Our proposal follows the San Jose Agreement, which implies that Zelaya would return, but we would take away the main powers and give them to a board of ministers, who would be running the government until the new president takes office," Facusse.
However, he did not mention the part of his plan that envisioned allowing thousands of foreign troops or peacekeepers into Honduras to oversee such an agreement. Micheletti had dismissed that part of the plan, saying it was not allowed by the country's Constitution.
Catholic Church leaders have weighed in with a proposal to jump-start negotiations, part of a growing movement by crisis-weary Hondurans to resolve the political standoff and end the country's crippling isolation.
The coup-installed government, which has shrugged off the international condemnation, now is coming under increasing pressure from political, civic and business leaders who had supported Zelaya's ouster and now back plans to return him to power with limited authority.
As part of the attempt to return to normality, Micheletti's government has dropped the nighttime curfew since Zelaya returned to Honduras.
MyWay
Empire of the Sun
posted by madtom at 8:55 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home