Tegucigalpa, 4 July 2009

MEP Willy Meyer, Vice-President of the bi-regional European Union-Latin America Assembly is currently in Honduras, representing the European United Left/Nordic Green Left group in the European Parliament there.

Yesterday afternoon, (Honduras time), at the request of the national movement of resistance formed by all social organisations and trade unions against the coup d’état, MEP Meyer met with José Miguel Insulza, General Secretary of the OAS.

Insulza described his meetings with the archbishopric and the Supreme Court, reporting that the worst-case scenario is now expected. The General Secretary of the OAS – who was mandated by the Organisation not to meet the Micheletti government - said that if the legally elected government in Honduras is not restored within the 72-hour deadline set by the OAS, Honduras will be expelled from the Organisation. A couple of hours later Micheletti appeared on TV to announce that Honduras had chosen to leave the OAS.

About Micheletti’s statement made in of the advance of elections, Insulza expressed his disagreement, since "tainted elections can only lead to tainted results". Commenting on the fact that financial institutions such as the World Bank Honduras may close down, the General Secretary of the OAS said: "A government without any political credit will be a government without any economic credit’. Insulza also explained that the United States embassy in Honduras maintains its strong position against the coup d’état.

According to GUE/NGL MEP Willy Meyer "it is now necessary to step up international pressure because the situation is explosive at domestic Honduran level. Zelaya’s supporters are taking to the streets, understandably, and the situation is becoming increasingly bi-polarized".

The MEP also called on the EU to firmly support the OAS and to end relations with the government formed after the coup d’état. “The European United Left has called for much greater pressure to be exerted on the so-called government of Honduras because the situation may just end up in a bloodbath in the streets".

Earlier in the day, Meyer hosted a press conference together with Members of Honduras Parliament Marvine Ponce, Silvia Ayala and Marlene Peace from the Party of Democratic Unification and Javier Holl and Rodrigo Trochez from the Liberal Party.

Meyer was mandated by the European Parliament’s European United Left/Nordic Green Left group to travel to Tegucigalpa in a context in which the European Union had come out strongly against the Micheletti coup d’état “to express our solidarity with the Members of Parliament and social activists who have resisted and continue to resist the coup d’état".

MEP Meyer also wanted to show his absolute support and the support of his group for the return of Manuel Zelaya as Honduras’s only President elect. "Any solution is based on Zelaya’s return and his restitution to the Presidency of the country" - Meyer declared. He also condemned the curfew enforced from 10 pm to 5 am, "which is being used by the army to repress and detain people without any legal guarantee, since a state of emergency has been declared".

Those Members of Parliament who accompanied Meyer expressed the same sentiments, saying they were unable to do their jobsz. "This was the case for César Ham, UD Member of Parliament, whose attempts to get into the country failed because of the threats being made on him." Meyer also explained that some members of the judiciary, Prosecutors and Judges, are coming out in favour of Zelaya.

As European Parliament rapporteur on the EU- Central America association agreement – currently under negotiation - Willy Meyer stated firmly that "if the legitimate power in the country is not returned, Honduras cannot sit down at the negotiating table. If the illegal Micheletti government continues, Honduras will not be included in the Agreement."

Meyer saw for himself, in the streets of Tegucigalpa, how the army facilitates access for those demonstrators in favour of Micheletti while establishing checkpoints to refuse access to supporters of President Zelaya.

Members of Parliament from the Democratic Unification and the Liberal Parties thanked Meyer for his presence and stressed that the European Parliament needed to remain alert because the mere presence these MPs at the press conference hosted by Meyer may have personal consequences for them. The liberal Members of Parliament also reported that they had not been invited to the plenary session when Micheletti self-proclaimed himself head of government. All MPs urged the international community to keep up pressure until the restitution of President Zelaya to power was ensured.

Contacts:

Gianfranco Battistini +32 475 64 66 28
Gay Kavanagh + 32 473 842 320
Mireia Rovira +32 486 722 750