Clinton to meet Oscar Arias over Honduran crisis
WASHINGTON — US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will meet with Costa Rican President Oscar Arias next week to discuss the Honduran political crisis, her spokesman said.The meeting will take place on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, which begins Monday, State Department spokesman PJ Crowley told reporters, without providing further details.
"I would expect next week we'll continue to look for ways to support the San Jose process," Crowley said, referring to the peace process brokered by Arias to restore president Manuel Zelaya following the military-backed coup that ousted him from power on June 28.
Washington has halted most visa services in Honduras, revoked visas for the interim regime and cut off over 30 million dollars in non-humanitarian aid.
Interim leader Roberto Micheletti acknowledged in an interview with Fox television late Wednesday that he had ruled out attempting to travel to New York for the UN General Assembly due to the restrictions.
Disarmament and Honduras, to discuss issues in the UN General Assembly
viernes 18 de septiembre, 01:38 PM Friday, 18 September, 01:38 PM
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The extension of the U.S. embargo on Cuba, the political situation in Honduras and new disarmament proposals would debate the key issues for the 16 Latin American presidents are expected to participate next week at the United Nations General Assembly United, several experts said on Friday. The 64th edition of this annual summit is the first under the leadership of President Barack Obama and is expected to generate an environment more open to multilateralism, especially with the massive participation of heads of state during the five days scheduled for debate.
The big question this year is whether Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez will travel to New York to participate in the forum.The Mission of Venezuela to the UN declined to comment Friday. The last speech of Chavez against the Assembly in 2006 was broadcast around the world after the former president compared U.S. President George W. Bush to the devil.
It is confirmed the presence of Bolivian President Evo Morales, Alvaro Uribe, Argentina's Cristina Fernandez, Chile's Michelle Bachelet and Brazil's Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, among others.
Honduras's political crisis could be a focus of debate. It is anticipated that the deposed President of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya, represents his country at the UN, said the spokesman's office of the Secretary General. Nobody answered several calls to the mission of Honduras to the UN on Friday.
"That a deposed a president addresses the General Assembly is unprecedented," said Enrique Yeves, until recently a spokesman for President of the General Assembly and spoke with the AP as a diplomat. . "It represents a rejection of the international community to the coups, the refusal to legitimize government who comes from a coup d'etat".
The UN on Tuesday banned the participation of representatives of the de facto government of Honduras at its meeting in Geneva after protests from some Latin American countries. Zelaya was deposed by a coup in June, but much of the international community has refused to recognize the de facto government of Roberto Micheletti.
Obama's decision to extend the embargo on Cuba for another year could be another topic of debate. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez will speak at plenary on 28 September.
According to the official agenda, the General Assembly begins on September 23 and ending on 28.
In addition to the debate in plenary and multiple press conferences, at least three Latin American presidents will receive tributes from nongovernmental organizations. Lula da Silva receive the Woodrow Wilson Award Public Service Award, while Bachelet will receive the Badge of Gold of the Americas Society. The group Alliance to Save Energy will award a prize to Mexican President Felipe Calderón for energy saving programs in the country.
Calderon will travel to New York on Wednesday for a Security Council meeting on disarmament next day.
Marco Morales, press attache for Mexico mission at the UN, noted that this issue affects fully to Latin America.
"Mexico has been pushing for issues such as disarmament, drug trafficking, curbing organized crime and arms trafficking in the General Assembly and this year is no exception," said Morales. "These issues are very present in our domestic reality, but also particularly relevant in the context of United Nations".
Yeves mentions potential U.S. military bases in Colombia as one of the most controversial issue when discussing disarmament, something that surely will be played during the forum, he said.
http://mx.news.yahoo.com/s/ap/090918/internacional/onu_gen_asamblea_latinoamerica
No comments:
Post a Comment