Florida Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R) publicly disagreed with the Organization of American States’ decision to suspend Honduras from its ranks in response to the military coup that took place there over two weeks ago.
She tweeted:
About to meet w/Honduran delegation frm all parties, even Zelaya’s; in favor of respecting const order and rule of law. Against oas action.
The OAS punished the Central American nation last week because it claimed the coup violated human rights provisions. It also demanded that its ousted president, Manuel Zelaya, be returned to power immediately.
Cuba was the last country to be suspended by the OAS, which happened in 1962.
The U.S. recently brokered a deal for Costa Rican President Oscar Arias to negotiate a peaceful settlement between Zelaya and the opposition.
Several days after the coup, the Obama administration called it “not legal” and supported Zelaya’s claim to the presidency. Some high-profile Republicans rebuked Obama’s stance, including Newt Gingrich and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.)