MEDIA RELEASE

Latin American Committee and Wellington Zapatista Support Group

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 10 July 2009

A delegation fromThe Latin American Committee and the Wellington Zapatista Support Group yesterday presented a statement about Honduras to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Honourable Murray McCully, through the Director, David Taylor, and Deputy-Director, Heather Ward, of the Latin American Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The statement, endorsed by more than 200 people, condemned the recent coup in Honduras, and demanded that world governments, including New Zealand’s,

1. pledge not to recognise the illegal government who seized power in the coup;
2. immediately suspend any and all military and/or economic aid to the illegal government;
3. demand the peaceful return of President Manuel Zelaya to his country and his presidency;
4. demand respect for the human rights and civil liberties of the popular movement and all sectors of the Honduran population;
5. support the process of democratisation in the Americas.

Mr Taylor and Ms Ward informed the delegation that the New Zealand government has condemned the coup, requested the return of President Zelaya, and declined to recognise the de facto government of Roberto Micheletti through New Zealand’s support of the 30 June United Nations General Assembly Resolution.

They said that with regard to military and economic aid, New Zealand has no NZ diplomatic mission in Honduras, and the NZ government does not provide Honduras with any military or economic assistance, with the exception of contributions to the United Nations system, some of which may reach Honduras through support of projects by UN agencies such as UNICEF and the UNDP.

Mr Taylor and Ms Ward agreed with the signatories that the process of democratisation in the Americas must be supported, and expressed concern about the destabilising effect the coup might have on other countries in the region, saying they will continue to monitor the situation closely.

However the Ministry was unable to provide any commitment to undertaking concrete steps to support Honduras in developing good governance, such as through the provision of capacity-building projects in the country.

LAC and the Zapatista Support Group thank all of those who endorsed the statement.

Latin America Solidarity Committee
lac@apc.org.nz
http://www.converge.org.nz/lac/index.htm

Wellington Zapatista Support Group
http://floweroftheword.wordpress.com/

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