Honduras
Envoy Says "Ordered Out" of U.N.
Rights Body
By Robert Evans
GENEVA (Reuters) - The Honduran
ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva
said on Monday he had been ordered out of
the U.N. Human Rights Council after other
Latin American countries accused him of
representing an "illegal" regime.
After a day of confusion which stalled the
start of the three-week session of the
47-nation council, envoy J. Delmer Urbizo
left the hall declaring loudly in English
and Spanish: "We will be back! Volveremos!"
The dramatic scenes came after Argentina,
Brazil, Mexico and Cuba insisted that Delmer
Urbizo, who has served as ambassador in
Geneva for three years, could not stay
unless he was approved by ousted Honduran
president Manuel Zelaya.
Alex Van Meeuwen, the Belgian president of
the Human Rights Council, told the envoy he
could not speak in response since Honduras
is only an observer in the forum, and should
leave while his credentials were checked
overnight.
"I was ordered out. They have put security
guards on me to make sure I left," Delmer
Urbizo told reporters as blue-shirted U.N.
police stood by. "But we will be back, make
no mistake, and these people will see what
they have done."
Van Meeuwen later issued a statement saying
he became aware late on Monday afternoon
that Zelaya's government had reportedly
written a letter on Aug. 20 indicating
Delmer Urbizo "did not represent the
constitutional president".
"I hope to have clarification on this
technical and organizational yet very
sensitive matter, so the Human Rights
Council can proceed with its work and follow
the programme we have set out together," he
said.
"We will continue to discuss this matter as
it is still on the table. I should state
very clearly that the Human Rights Council
does not exclude any country from
participating in its sessions."
Delmer Urbizo said he and other diplomats
from the country's mission in Geneva --
where he has declared his support for
Honduras' de facto ruler Roberto Micheletti
-- would return after elections set for
November.
There was no rival delegation from Zelaya's
government in exile in the hall, but no
country spoke in Delmer Urbizo's defence.
The U.N. General Assembly has called on its
members not to recognize the Micheletti
government, which took power after a June
military coup. |
