Ousted Honduran FM calls on int'l community to sanction coup

Ousted Honduran Foreign Minister Patricia Rodas here Monday urgently called upon the international community to sanction the post-coup government in Tegucigalpa.

Speaking at a press conference at the UN Headquarters in New York, Rodas pushed for the restoration of ousted President Maneul Zelaya's power and cited an Oct. 15 "ultimatum" to reach an agreement.

Calling the situation "unacceptable" and "far from being solved," Rodas strongly denounced the June 28 coup.

"We are not asking for sanctions against a nation, but to isolate the perpetrators of the coup and make sure that they are legitimized," Rodas said.

On June 28, Zelaya was ousted in a political-military coup and just last month, he returned to Tegucigalpa, where he is currently taking refuge in the Brazilian embassy there.

Rodas described the current situation as "the siege of an embassy," citing that the conditions around the embassy were getting poorer and that the imposed violence from the regime is not legitimate.

Last Wednesday, the Organization of American States (OAS) opened a dialogue between the representatives of de facto leader Roberto Micheletti and Zelaya.

However, they failed to reach an understanding or agreement between the two sides.

With his supposed term scheduled to end in January, Zelaya had agreed to end his time in office then, but has said that Micheletti will not allow his reinstatement.

"People have not given up their hope of achieving democracy," Rodas said.

On Sept. 27, the post-coup government issued a decree, which restricted civil liberties, as well as other constitutional rights for 45 days.

Pushing for the international community to "remain steadfast," Rodas urged governments to reject any efforts made by the de facto Honduran government for a presidential election.

"The electoral process is a right, not a solution to a coup," she added.

The United Nations, as well as the international community, have continued to denounce the coup.

With the OAS, representatives of the ousted president and the coup leader will meet on Tuesday to negotiate and hammer out the last details.

Source: Xinhua