Latin American Experts: Zelaya Must Be Allowed Back Into Honduras

By Celia Canon-Talk Radio News Service

On Tuesday, experts from the Inter-American Dialogue warned that Honduras would continue to be unstable as long as ousted President Manuel Zelaya was not allowed back into the country.

“Zelaya is the elected President... If things degenerate further you won’t have good elections,” said Peter Hakim, President of Inter-American dialogue.

Hakim advised the international community to pursue “open negotiations involving [the] interim government.” Once an agreement is reached among the global community, Hakim advised Honduras to hold an election but warned that the quality of these elections depends on the stability of the country.

On June 29th, the Honduran military led a coup to overthrow President Manuel Zelaya. Armed forces intervened hours before a national referendum was due to take place to determine whether the constitution could be modified to allow the President to assume a second term, rather than the single term outlined in the country’s constitution. Zelaya was replaced by interim-President Roberto Micheletti.

Though the future of Honduras is nothing short of uncertain, many actors, including the international body Organization of American States, have gotten involved in the reestablishment of peace and stability in the Central American country.

“The OAS could take a strong position but then [it could be better to] not put the de facto Honduran government against the wall,” Hakim said

Genaro Arriagada, a Senior Fellow at the Inter-American Dialogue, added that besides the obvious necessary changes that should be brought to the Honduran government and constitution, further changes should involve the OAS 2001 democratic charter which was adopted by member states in order to ensure the presence of democratic institutions in all countries of the Americas.

The Charter needs to be reconsidered, explained Arriagada, “because it gives protection to the government but not to the opposition to the government.”

OAS works to empower the poor

The Organization of American States (OAS), led by its Secretary General José Miguel Insulza, held their Ninth Policy Roundtable and Report Launch: a discussion on “Making the Law Work for Everyone.” Madeleine Albright, former Secretary of State of the United States, began the discussion. She said that the majority of the world’s people are unable to use the law correctly; there are approximately four billion people worldwide that are outside the system in which law can work for them. Because of this, Albright explained that a vicious cycle is created that makes it even harder for poor people to escape poverty.

The Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor is an independent commission hosted by the United Nations Development Programme and has many influential members such as Albright, Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court Anthony Kennedy, and Ambassador Roberto Alvarez. All three agreed upon the need to form a law which helps and protects everyone without discrimination. They also stressed that the commission needs to broaden its scope, focusing on four pillars: access to justice and the rule of law, property rights, labour rights, and business rights.

Kennedy explained how countries need to bond together as a region and take a common interest in fixing the law. He said that those in poverty view the law as a foe rather than a friend, and if the law does not accommodate their needs, they will go around it to make ends meet. Kennedy said that this view needs to be changed and that a legal system which is not corrupt needs to be created.

Alvarez agreed with Kennedy and said that corruption is the key obstacle when looking at poverty. He explained that the commission’s historical mission cannot be living in freedom with hunger, without education, and without healthcare. More possibilities need to be considered, education must be stressed, and more resources for the poor need to be created.