Crowded agenda awaits Clinton in Latin America

Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton travels to Latin America and the Caribbean with a crowded agenda awaiting: lingering tensions over last year's coup in Honduras, U.S. immigration policy, security issues and concerns over Iran and the Middle East.

Clinton was to depart Sunday on her seventh trip to the region as the top U.S. diplomat, with a schedule that included an Organization of American States meeting in Peru as well as later stops in Ecuador, Colombia and Barbados.

At all points, officials say, she will stress the Obama administration's commitment to the Western Hemisphere and support for democracy.

The most contentious topic facing the OAS — whether to readmit Honduras to the regional bloc — isn't on the agenda at Monday's annual OAS General Assembly in Lima. But it will loom large over the discussions, with the U.S. at odds with numerous other member countries on the matter.

The U.S. wants Honduras allowed back into the organization following elections that brought the current president, Porfirio Lobo, to power after the June 2009 coup that ousted his predecessor, Manuel Zelaya. Other governments, notably Brazil, Venezuela and Nicaragua, are opposed and insist that Zelaya be allowed to return home first.

"There still are some countries that believe that Honduras should take additional steps, which is a position that's different from that of the United States," said Arturo Valenzuela, the assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs.

"We believe that, in fact, Honduras has taken important steps to overcome the crisis," he told reporters Friday. "Although, we are also mindful of the fact that there are continuing concerns over human rights violations in Honduras and that certain steps still need to be taken in order to bring about a process of national reconciliation."