Security of Brazilian Embassy in Honduras must be ensured – Security Council

The Security Council today stressed the need to ensure the security of the Brazilian Embassy in Tegucigalpa, where ousted Honduran President Jose Manuel Zelaya has taken shelter since his return to the country earlier this week.

This came after Brazil’s Foreign Minister, Celso Amorim, said that he was gravely concerned that the same people who had perpetrated the coup d’état in Honduras in June might threaten the Embassy’s inviolability to forcefully arrest Mr. Zelaya.

“Since the day it has sheltered President Zelaya at its premises, the Brazilian Embassy has been virtually under siege,” he told a formal meeting of the Council, noting that electricity, water supply and phone connections have been cut off, cell phone communications hampered, and disruptive sound equipment installed in the front of the building.

In addition, access to food had been restricted and the movement of official Embassy vehicles curtailed.

In a statement read out to the press by Ambassador Susan Rice of the United States, which holds the Council’s rotating presidency for this month, Council members stressed the importance of respecting international law through preserving the inviolability of the Embassy.

“They condemned acts of intimidation against the Brazilian Embassy and called upon the de facto government of Honduras to cease harassing the Brazilian Embassy and to provide all necessary utilities and services, including water, electricity, food and continuity of communications,” she stated.

The members of the Council also called on all parties “to remain calm and to avoid actions that escalate the situation or place individuals at risk of harm,” and voiced support for the regional mediation efforts facilitated by the Organization of American States (OAS) to reach a peaceful solution to the political crisis in Honduras.