OAS to Hold Special Session on Suriname

The Organization of American States called a special session for today to discuss the situation in Suriname, where military leaders ousted the elected civilian government in a coup on Christmas Eve.

Venezuela requested the extraordinary session, which will be held at OAS headquarters here.

Earlier, Brazil expressed concern over the coup in the small nation in northeast South America, saying that it could not remain indifferent to events that moved friendly countries away from democratic procedures. A Foreign Ministry statement said Brazil hopes for a swift return to democracy in the former Dutch colony.

A Peruvian Foreign Ministry statement called on Suriname’s new rulers to restore democracy immediately.

A new government could be in place in Suriname by Saturday, a military spokesman said by telephone from the capital, Paramaribo. The bloodless coup ousted President Ramsewak Shankar and his Cabinet.