- Title: HONDURAS-CORRUPTION/OAS Almagro meets with Hernandez to begin mediation process
- Date: 8th August 2015
- Summary: TEGUCIGALPA, HONDURAS (AUGUST 8, 2015) (REUTERS) PRESIDENT OF HONDURAS JUAN ORLANDO HERNANDEZ AND SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES (OAS) LUIS ALMAGRO ARRIVING TO A NEWS CONFERENCE ALMAGRO WITH JOHN BIEHL DESIGNATED AS DIALOGUE FACILITATOR BY THE OAS NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) PRESIDENT OF HONDURAS JUAN ORLANDO HERNANDEZ SAYING: "I would l
- Embargoed: 23rd August 2015 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Honduras
- Country: Honduras
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVAA9DKMYPYFRWKBAS07X8WOZWS0
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The Organization of American States (OAS) began the process of trying to bring about peaceful resolution to political turmoil in Honduras Saturday (August 8).
One day after thousands of protesters marched in Tegucigalpa against Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez over a graft case the General Secretary of the OAS Luis Almagro visited with the President who said he was open to dialogue with his critics.
"I would like to say that I reiterate that our position continues to be the same with respect to an inclusive, participatory dialogue without conditions and I invite the different sectors to participate in this opportunity for Honduras and to say to the world that today Honduras begins a new era," said Hernandez at a news conference from which the members of the opposition were conspicuously absent.
"Without conditions means exactly that. It means that all the actors have to have the maximum commitment for the agenda to be the most broad and well rounded as possible and that all the topics should be included and that procedure to reach conclusions are transparent and legitimate and conform to the institutional order of the country," said Almagro standing next to John Biehl, the man designated to be the OAS' dialogue facilitator.
The protests call for the resignation of President Juan Orlando Hernandez over a $200 million corruption scandal at the Honduran Institute of Social Security (IHSS).
Hernandez has admitted that companies linked to the graft case helped fund his 2013 presidential campaign, but has added that he and his right-leaning National Party were not aware of the source of the money. The scandal has already triggered the house arrest of Hernandez's vice president, Lena Gutierrez.
Officially, Almagro is visiting the country to help start a "national dialogue against impunity," according to Voice of America. Hernandez, popularly known as "JOH," is backing the visit in the hope of trying to find a mediator between the government and leading civil groups.
The visit comes as many in Honduras appear to be reaching a breaking point.
The opposition groups want an independent prosecutor staffed by foreigners, similar to a United Nations-backed commission that has led corruption probes in neighbouring Guatemala. They have floated the the CICIH (International Commission against Impunity in Honduras) and the ICJ (International Court of Justice) as potential mediators.
Youth groups have been raising their profile in the protest movement as well.
U.S. President Barack Obama's fiscal 2016 budget includes $1 billion in new aid for Central America to address its emigration epidemic that saw more than 60,000 unaccompanied children travel to the United States last year from the region.
A conservative, Hernandez took office at the start of 2014 in what is one of the poorest nations in the Americas. The Central American country of around 8.5 million has had the world's highest murder rate for several years. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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