Honduras: Ban voices support for efforts to end political crisis

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has expressed his support for the Costa Rican leader’s mediation efforts to resolve the political crisis in Honduras, where President José Manuel Zelaya Rosales was ousted by the military last month.

Speaking with President Oscar Arias of Costa Rica yesterday, Mr. Ban offered technical assistance and cooperation to help the parties reach an agreement.

“The Secretary-General is confident that an open dialogue and international support will help resolve the current crisis,” according to a statement issued by his spokesperson.

Mr. Zelaya was ousted by the military on 28 June, hours before a referendum was slated to be held on changing the Honduran constitution. He attempted to fly back to Honduras on 5 July, accompanied by General Assembly President Miguel D’Escoto and several regional leaders, but was prevented from landing at the airport in the capital, Tegucigalpa.

Last week, an independent United Nations human rights expert criticized the actions of the de facto authorities in Honduras, and the behaviour of the Supreme Court, and called for an immediate return to the rule of law following the recent coup d’état.

Leandro Despouy, the UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, called the actions of the current authorities, led by the President of the Congress, Roberto Micheletti, “inappropriate.”

In a statement issued in Geneva, he added that the behaviour of the Court since the coup have “attempted to endorse and give legal support to the breakdown of the rule of law” and departs from the principles of independence and impartiality that should characterize that body.