Honduras quits int’l group

The Honduran government, which ousted its democratically elected president in a military coup Sunday, has quit the Organization of American States (OAS) as the international entity set to work to condemn the Central American nation’s actions.

According to a report in the New York Times, new Honduran President Robert Micheletti made the announced on state television Friday evening. The OAS is meeting on Saturday to consider sanctions against Honduras, including revoking its membership.

The Times characterizes Honduras maneuver as preemptive and reports that Micheletti notified the OAS in a letter Friday.

Roberto Micheletti, who was sworn in by the Congress to replace Mr. Zelaya, said Honduras would no longer recognize the O.A.S. charter because of the “unilateral and indignant resolutions” coming from the body. In a letter to Jose Miguel Insulza, the secretary general of the body, Mr. Micheletti called the group “a political organization, not a court, and it can’t judge us.”

After the Honduran military seized the elected president, Manuel Zelaya and transported him to Costa Rica, President Obama condemned the coup.

“I am deeply concerned by reports coming out of Honduras regarding the detention and expulsion of President Mel Zelaya,” Obama said Sunday. “As the Organization of American States did on Friday, I call on all political and social actors in Honduras to respect democratic norms, the rule of law and the tenets of the Inter-American Democratic Charter. Any existing tensions and disputes must be resolved peacefully through dialogue free from any outside interference.”

–Jeffrey Young