Which is it? Withdrawal or suspension of Honduras from OAS…
Honduras beat the OAS to the punch Friday night by quitting the organization. The OAS meets tonight to consider the Central American country’s suspension. Read what The New York Times and McClatchy newspapers are reporting.
Honduras Withdraws From Group of Nations
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — As the Organization of American States prepared to meet Saturday to consider suspending Honduras’s membership in the group, the country’s post-coup government tried to outflank the regional body by quitting first.
The withdrawal, announced on Honduran television on Friday night, showed the defiance of the new government, which took power last Sunday morning after soldiers stormed the residence of President Manuel Zelaya, detained him and put him on a plane leaving the country.It also was a sign of the government’s increasing isolation, with the United Nations and the O.A.S. condemning the coup as an illegal move that ought to be reversed and many international donors threatening to pull aid from the country.
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OAS tells Honduras it can’t drop out, but weighs kicking it out
WASHINGTON — The new government in Honduras may want to wash its hands of the Organization of American States, but the OAS says no, not that way — if there’s to be any severing of ties, it’ll be the OAS that does it.
Honduras’ new government announced plans late Friday to withdraw from the diplomatic union following a visit from the organization’s secretary general Jose Miguel Insulza, who attempted to broker a deal for the return of ousted President Manuel Zelaya.
But the OAS — meeting Saturday evening in Washington to consider suspending the country’s membership — says that the government of Honduras isn’t legitimate and therefore can’t withdraw from the group.
