Brazil, Nicaragua set conditions for Honduras' return to OAS

The presidents of Brazil and Nicaragua Wednesday set conditions for Honduras' return to the Organization of American States (OAS), saying it must first condemn last year's coup that toppled President Manuel Zelaya.

"We cannot allow the coup of June 2009 in Honduras to become a new encouragement to undemocratic adventures. The position of other Central American countries on the issue is vital," Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said.

During a lunch with his Nicaraguan counterpart Daniel Ortega in Brasilia, Lula said regional integration in the hemisphere requires strong commitment to democracy in the region.

Brazil's stance is that any step toward Honduras' readmission to the OAS requires the return of deposed President Zelaya and the full recognition of his political rights by the new government.

Ortega urged measures to be taken to help Honduras normalize its status in regional organizations at an early date.

"We must create conditions for Honduras so that it can rejoin the OAS as well as the Central American Integration System. This is a challenge we face," Ortega said, without specifying what those conditions are.

The coup in Honduras has been a great obstacle to the integration process of the Central American nation as it happened at a time when coups were becoming rare in the region, Ortega said.

The OAS voted unanimously to suspend Honduras' membership in July 2009 in response to the June 28 coup that ousted Zelaya.

Following the coup, numerous Latin American countries severed diplomatic ties with Honduras.

Source: Xinhua