OAS mission arrives in Honduras for talks on political crisis

Aug 24, 2009, 18:00 GMT

Tegucigalpa - A delegation of seven foreign ministers of the Americas and the secretary-general of the Organization of American States (OAS) arrived Monday in Honduras for talks to seek an end to the political crisis in the Central American country.

The delegation included foreign ministers Peter Kant of Canada, Jorge Taiana of Argentina, Bruno Stagno of Costa Rica, Kenneth Baugh of Jamaica, Patricia Espinosa of Mexico, Carlos Morales Troncoso of the Dominican Republic and Juan Carlos Varela of Panama, as well as OAS Secretary-General Jose Miguel Insulza.

Honduras has been immersed in a major political crisis, after President Manuel Zelaya was ousted by the military on June 28. The international community regarded the move as a military coup and refused to recognize the subsequent government, headed by former Congress speaker Roberto Micheletti.

In his role as mediator, Costa Rican President Oscar Arias demanded that Zelaya be allowed to return to power. But the authorities in Tegucigalpa refused.

Beyond the government set up after the coup, the delegation is set to hold talks with other sectors, including business leaders, representatives of the Roman Catholic and evangelical churches, and trade unions.

They are also set to meet with the six presidential candidates who are running in the November 28 election, which had been scheduled prior to Zelaya's ouster.