Tegucigalpa, Aug 29 (IANS) Honduras said that the country will end its extradition treaty with the United States, accusing Washington of interfering in its internal affairs.
In a letter to the US embassy posted on social media platform X, Honduran Foreign Minister Enrique Reina announced “the decision of the Government of the Republic of Honduras to terminate the extradition treaty.”
Earlier on Wednesday, Honduran President Xiomara Castro asked Reina to denounce the extradition treaty with the United States, given US “interference and interventionism” in the country’s internal affairs, reports Xinhua news agency.
Under international law, a denunciation is a unilateral act by a party seeking to terminate its participation in a treaty.
“The interference and interventionism of the United States, as well as its intention to direct the politics of Honduras through its embassy and other representatives, is intolerable,” Castro said in a post on X.
The US embassy in Honduras did not immediately comment on the move.
The move comes after US ambassador to Honduras Laura Dogu expressed her “concern” and “surprise” to local media regarding the recent visit to Venezuela of Honduran military commanders and their exchange with their Venezuelan counterparts, one of whom she referred to as a “drug trafficker.”
Dogu specifically referred to Honduran Defence Minister Jose Manuel Zelaya and the head of the Joint Chief of Staff Roosevelt Leonel Hernandez, who led the Honduran delegation that participated as an observer in the 4th International Military Sports Council World Cadet Games held August 16 to 24 in Caracas, Venezuela.
In response, Reina said on X that Dogu’s meddling in the country’s internal affairs was “unbearable.”
“Insinuating or implying our authorities are drug traffickers to discredit them is a direct threat to our independence and sovereignty. Let us not remain silent in the face of these baseless statements,” the official said.