Brazilian
Government Defends Zelaya's Refuge
In Embassy
Rio de Janeiro -
Brazilian Chief of Staff Dilma Rousseff
defended Thursday Brazil's decision on
giving shelter to ousted Honduran president
Manuel Zelaya.
"The embassy is the Brazilian territory,"
she said, referring to the Brazilian embassy
in Tegucigalpa, capital of Honduras.
"I cannot believe that anyone civilized will
propose that you hand out someone who asked
for an asylum," she said.
Zelaya returned to Honduras on Monday,
almost three months after he was removed
from office in a military coup on June 28,
and took refuge in the Brazilian embassy.
Since then, the Honduran interim authorities
have pressed the Brazilian side for handing
the ousted president out
On Monday, the Honduran side cut the
Brazilian embassy's electricity and water
supply and its phone lines.
Two people have already died in the
confrontation between the police and
Zelaya's supporters in front of the embassy
in the past few days.
Brazil's Foreign Relations Minister Celso
Amorim said that the Brazilian government
did not know about Zelaya's return
beforehand.
He also said Brazil is not creating a
problem by providing shelter to the deposed
president.
The minister denied that Zelaya is using the
embassy to encourage protests, noting
Zelaya's return is an opportunity to solve
the political impasse in the country.
"This opportunity, of course, involves
risks. But it is an opportunity for
dialogue, which is what we are trying to
provide," he said.
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