Dr. Baugh Joins OAS Mediation Team in Honduras

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Hon. Dr. Kenneth Baugh, is in Honduras as a part of an Organization of American States (OAS) Foreign Ministers team seeking to resolve the political crisis created by the ouster of President Manuel Zelaya.
President Zelaya, who was democratically elected in 2006, was attempting to amend the constitution to allow him to seek a second term, in elections due in November, when he was forced out of office.
Foreign Ministers from seven nations who are members of the OAS launched a direct, high-profile attempt Monday (August 24) to persuade the interim Government to restore the ousted President. The OAS delegation is considered the most prominent group of officials to visit Honduras since Zelaya was arrested and hustled out of the country June 28, prompting criticism from Governments around the world.
The OAS is pressuring the interim Government to accept the San Jose Accord, a plan proposed by Costa Rican President Oscar Arias to return Zelaya to power, until elections are held by the end of November, and grant him amnesty for any alleged crimes, as well as those involved in the coup. The U.S. State Department has supported the OAS’ effort to push the Arias proposal.
The delegation includes Foreign Ministers Kenneth Baugh of Jamaica, Peter Kant of Canada, Jorge Taiana of Argentina, Bruno Stagno of Costa Rica, Patricia Espinosa of Mexico, Carlos Morales Troncoso of the Dominican Republic and Juan Carlos Varela of Panama, as well as OAS Secretary-General Jose Miguel Insulza.
They are to meet with the interim Government, as well as other sectors, including business leaders, representatives of the Roman Catholic and evangelical churches, and trade unions.