Honduran president visits Belize

porfirio lobo

The President of Honduras Porfirio Lobo and a delegation arrived at the PGIA at ten o’clock this morning on private aircraft and left some five hours later. It is his first visit and he used the occasion to lobby support from Belize and by extension CARCIOM, for his country’s reinstatement to the thirty-three member Organization of American States.  News Five’s Isani Cayetano files a report from Old Belize where a lunch was held in honor of the Honduran delegation.

Isani Cayetano, Reporting

Newly installed Honduran President Porfirio Lobo Sosa, accompanied by his wife and other government officials, were in Belize on a working visit today.  During his brief stay Pepe Lobo met with Prime Minister Dean Barrow and other foreign affairs representatives.  Following the meeting both state officials and other dignitaries met at Old Belize Historical Center where they issued a joint communiqué on the friendship shared between the two countries. The statement reasserted their political ties, despite Honduras being suspended from the Organization of American States. The deferral comes in the wake of civil unrest in the Republic of Honduras in June of 2009 when former President Manuel Zelaya was ousted from office.

Dean Barrow, Prime Minister of Belize

“We naturally spoke particularly of the difficulties that Honduras is experiencing at the present time with respect to the suspension from participation in the Organization of American States, the premier regional organization for our countries in this part of the world.  Belize has, from very early, on been pleased to recognize the election of the President of Honduras and we, while at the time we condemned the coup that had led to the removal of former President Zelaya after there were what, as far as we could determine, were free and fair elections we felt it our duty to welcome the new government and to signal our diplomatic support for that government.”

That support is mutual as the visit of the president of Honduras, a member state of the Central American Integration System (SICA), takes place during Belize’s pro tem presidency of the organization.

Porfirio Lobo Sosa, President of Honduras

“We have had conversations on different topics.  We have had conversations on climate change.  We have spoken on mutually concerned topics such as security.  We know that Belize has the pro tempore chairmanship of SICA at the moment.  It’s a great moment for strengthening the relations with CARICOM.  What we wish at the end is to bring an agreement that could be the commercial relations with SICA and CARICOM.”

Prime Minister Barrow acknowledged efforts made by the Government of Honduras in terms of bolstering its democratic institutions and offered to bring it to the attention of other CARICOM member states.  This is so as to make easy the reinstatement of Honduras to the OAS.

Porfirio Lobo Sosa

“The OAS is pending yet, we have had the full support of the Government of Belize so we are just trying to get them to help to get together with the other countries and we have had this with all the friends that they might have.  They have our total goodwill and our disposition to do everything possible for us to be very aware of the importance of us, all of us being together in this issue.”

The global response to the coup d’état in 2009 was widely negative as most governments refused to recognize the presidency of Roberto Micheletti.  The UN, OAS and EU condemned the removal of Zelaya and on July fourth of last year, the OAS suspended Honduras indefinitely.  Rallying the support of Belize and other CARICOM nations is being regarded as a move to strengthen its backing as the country seeks restoration to the OAS. Reporting for News Five, I am Isani Cayetano.

Earlier today, it was announced that both Mexico and Chile would support the re-entry of Honduras into the OAS.