Obama Sanctions Hondurans, Consoles Zelaya, and Props Up Chavez
According to an article in the Los Angeles Times on September 4, the United States has announced a major cutoff in aid to Honduras, saying that it had terminated “more than $30 million” which had previously been suspended. The announcement added that:
It may eliminate as much as $200 million more if Honduras does not restore democratic rule and reinstate President Manuel Zelaya, who was ousted in a coup.
In addition, the United States also threatened on September 3 to “withhold recognition of the new president who emerges from elections scheduled in November” unless Zelaya is reinstated prior to the election. Mr. Zelaya understood Secretary Clinton to have been more emphatic. He said that he
appreciated that Mrs. Clinton had “made it clear” the U.S. wouldn’t recognize any government arising from elections held by the interim government.
The United States had earlier started revoking visas “of members and supporters of the de facto regime. It had previously canceled four officials’ visas and stopped issuing new tourist and business visas to Hondurans.”
The situation is confusing. The “more than $30 million” termination of aid announced on September 3 probably refers to a further but undefined step with regard to the earlier “suspension” of aid noted on the same day by a State Department spokesman as “about $35 million in aid,” which “had been temporarily suspended after the coup.”
The earlier aid “suspension” apparently occurred on July 2. The difference between “suspension” and “termination” of aid is less than crystal clear. It is also unclear when, and even whether, the “about $35 million” aid termination will be followed by the threatened additional $200 million aid cut-off.
The September 3 announcement:
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met with the ousted president, Manuel Zelaya. The decisions represented a hardening of the U.S. position and reflected the administration’s annoyance at Honduras’s de facto government for rejecting a proposed negotiated solution to the crisis.
The stated purpose of earlier “hitting the pause button” to “suspend” more than $30 million in aid had been “to increase pressure on the country’s de facto government to restore democratic rule after a coup in June.” It had also been stated as late as the early morning of September 3 that a final determination of whether the “coup” had been a “real coup” had not been made; it was stated that a determination would be made “as early as Monday,” September 7. In addition:
A senior U.S. official said Wednesday [September 2] that the United States had delayed any decision to cut aid to Honduras until Monday in order to give diplomatic moves time to return ousted President Manuel Zelaya to power.
Evidently, the determination that Honduras had experienced a “real coup” was advanced by several days in order to change legally the aid “suspension” to an aid “termination.”
Zelaya clearly wanted more than a “termination” of the earlier “suspended” aid. He also wanted the United States to implement such punitive actions as “freezing assets and bank accounts of officials and backers of the interim Honduran government.” Zelaya had been demanding for more than a month that the United States terminate essentially all aid, and he doubtless emphasized this demand during his recent meeting with Secretary Clinton as he had said he would. Evidently, Zelaya also commented during their meeting on alleged human rights abuses under the current Honduran government, but most likely did not address a damning report issued by the U.S. Department of State on February 25, 2009, commenting upon such things done under former President Zelaya such as torture, arbitrary arrest, detention, and government repression of and payoffs to the press.
So much for support from the Obama administration for constitutional processes in Latin America and elsewhere, such as Iran.
Look what happens when Intellectualism reigns over all, the world loses Wisdom.
Dr. Martian Luther King, as you have so wisely defended in the past, today we too cry for God’s Freedom to release us from the tyranny of the Intellectualist’s prison!
for those of you who have trouble squaring the circle. Obama is a MARXIST ..M-A-R-X-I-S-T.
the obama administration has abandoned (and worse undermined) their allies and supported the enemies of freedom and democracy at every opportunity.
they (the marxists) have the media on their side so they have been able to (for the most part) control the language. They ridicule those who say “marxist” and twist or lable their causes as those of the forward thinker and their oponents in negative terminolagy.
this has been going on for decades. it is decietful and plainly dishonest.
…but even with all the resoruces they have thrown at the indoctrination they are still meeting a lot of resistance from thse who refuse to give up critical thinking.
the over-reach of the obama administration may be freedoms greatest break. this may be the one of the marxist handbooks biggest mistakes.
they need a broken divided society to pass their agenda and the USA isn’t there yet and this over-reach may open the eyes of the americans who still want freedom and democracy.
All I can say is, what an A**hole.
Oh I could go on and explain how Obama hasn’t a clue on this subject, been there done that… actually it is so easy to grasp the facts of Honduran current situation that I now understand the Obama administration
just does not support Democracy in Latin America. (or anywhere else for that matter)
Obama is a Marxist end of story..
I would like to express my utter contempt for all the blithering idiots who voted for him…..
Apparently one must be a tyrant or a dictator wannabe to gain the RESPECT, as Obama puts it of the NEW US of A.
I suggest that all sane leaders in the world sit out these neo marxist fools and wait for a more relevant US administration to be elected in a few years time.
The dude’s a socialist. It’s just that simple.
Obama and his little helper, Hilary Clinton just seem intent on aiding and abetting any old tyrant they can find. They obviously don’t value freedom, which doesn’t bode well for the rest of us. We should all remember this in 2012.
It gets worse. The Regime has now stated that it won’t recognize the results of tHonduras’ November elections (regularly scheduled long, long before the crisis.
This is sickening, simply revolting. And one has to love the LA Times’ naked inversion of the truth in Orwellian style, with photo-negative uses of ‘democratic rule’ and ‘coup.’
A portion of a 23 August radio broadcast by Zelaya from Nicaragua and carried in Honduras is up on YouTube and an account, in English, of what he said is available here. As best I can understand Zelaya, the account is accurate.
During the broadcast, Zelaya continued to insist on the constitutional “reform” which got him deposed, to demand life in prison for the “coupsters,” and to demand that the fifty-six days of “his” presidency denied by the “coup” be restored; if reinstated, he apparently has no intention of letting go the presidency on 27 January so that a newly elected president can assume office. Also according to the article, Zelaya stated during an interview on CNN en Español held on 3 September, “that he would continue with the referendum plans, even though that is one of the major points expressly forbidden by the San José Accord. Zelaya has repeated over and over again his plans which prove without a doubt that he has no intention of complying with the San José Accord and never did.”
The whole thing boggles the mind. What, if anything, are the people at the U.S. Department of State thinking? Surely, they have competent Spanish-English translators and access to transcripts and recordings of Zelaya’s words.
Here are parts I and II of a 3 September State Department briefing. The difficulties inherent in expressing a confused policy clearly are quite evident. However, it seems:
a. There still has been no formal determination that what happened in Honduras was a “coup,” although it has been so characterized by the U.S. Government; such a formal determination was not required to terminate the previously suspended aid.
b. The aid “termination” relates to the aid previously “suspended;”
c. Unless Zelaya is reinstated, the U.S. will probably refuse to recognize the new Honduran Government elected as scheduled in November;
d. The ongoing revocation of, and refusal to issue visas to, supporters of the “coup” are intended to hurt them.
e. Zelaya has fully accepted the San Jose Accord as devised by President Arias of Costa Rica.
f. The State Department thinks it has done a mighty fine job: “the diplomatic actions that we have taken have, in fact, been very effective in outlining for Honduras a path forward out of this crisis towards what everyone wants, which is, in January of next year, a new government in place and one that all of the people of Honduras can see as legitimate and can choose to support.”
There is no truth (yet) to the rumor I just made up that William Ayers and the Reverend Mr. Wright will take over conduct of U.S. policy toward Latin America and elsewhere.
Here is a really sweet photo. Perhaps it might be considered for use on 4th of July posters.
The eyes of the world are beginning to focus on Venezuela. It is a small start, but a good one.
It’s pretty sad when I hope my government fails, but success would be disastrous.
“Appallingly, Obama is withholding aid to Honduras….”
Well, y’see Danny, we’ve been spoutin’ this stuff about democracy, so when a guy who’s been freely elected is removed by a coup, we’re kinda obliged to …. Never mind. I’ll explain it to ya when ya cool down.
Where is the outrage from the Repubs on this travesty? This is a direct assualt and insult to democratic countries worldwide. Send a message of encouragement to the Honduran Embassy in DC at embajadadehondurasdc@yahoo.com. And send a copy to your Senators and Representative.
It may eliminate as much as $200 million more if Honduras does not restore democratic rule and reinstate President Manuel Zelaya, who was ousted in a coup.
The word-distorters who issued this ‘statement’ have successfully hidden the Honduran Constitution from any notice by the MSM. When will someone publish its clauses which make clear that Zelaya’s removal was mandated by that constitution, following his behavior in attempting to jigger an election to extend his term in office?
Come on, Pajamas Media, the world waits. Surely someone on staff has sufficient Spanish to read that constitution and post in English those clauses which triggered Zelaya’s ouster and the Honduran Supreme Court’s order for it.
Until we all can see those clauses for ourselves, we’re at risk of bamboozlement by every ink-stained wretch who spins the news.
As this article correctly observes, the United States (by doing the bidding of el Presidente Chavez) is getting out of step with much of the rest of the world.
“It thinks it’s part of a group: ‘This is a regional and international effort,’ a senior administration official told IBD Thursday. ‘We’ve talked to the Europeans . . . so if anything, we’ll be redoubling efforts moving forward on this. And no, we’re not isolated at all.’
But as Honduras remains firm, the rest of the world, sees this and has started to restore normal ties. If this continues, the U.S. will be left holding the bag as the world’s bad cop bully.
***
Meanwhile, the European Union announced it wouldn’t initiate trade sanctions on Honduras as it had threatened earlier. It knew the deal and knew its interests.
Thursday, the International Monetary Fund announced it would extend a $150 million loan to Honduras, a sharp shift from the lending cutoff announced by the World Bank after the June 28 ouster of Zelaya. Again, game over, back to business.
***
Now it’s just the U.S., browbeaten by the rabid left for being too soft, that’s toughening sanctions and prolonging the crisis.
State Department spokesman Ian Kelly underscored that the U.S. has the toughest sanctions of any nation at a press conference last week. That’s nothing to brag about.” (emphasis added)
Uh…bibio44, you are aware that Zelaya pretty much violated both his own Constitution and the Supreme Court, which means that there are ample grounds for his removal from office (if not necessarily his exile – it may’ve been better to imprison him). It was hardly a conventional coup, if at all. The military is not in power and neither is Zelaya’s opposition.
Also, being freely elected in an election doesn’t always mean that you respect democratic ideals. Remember how Chavez was freely elected back in 1998? How democratic is he? Not particularly.
What was the point of Obama’s statement of “hands off” Latin America a few months ago? Another lie, I guess.
We need to be aware of who these “progressives” admire: Castro, Chavez, Zelaya; and wonder if they want to emulate them in the US.
Re comment #13 – Bob — Unfortunately, the Honduran Embassy in Washington represents the former government of President Zelaya. I don’t think it needs more encouragement; the United States Government is already providing more than enough.
It might be marginally more useful to sign this petition to President Obama. At last count, it had nearly 16,000 signatures. A few more probably won’t help, but wouldn’t hurt.
Re Comment #14 — Insufficiently Sensitive — As to the Honduran Constitution, here is an article I wrote back on 30 June discussing (among other things) the constitutional aspects of the “coup.” The situation was quite fluid then, and there seems to have been quite a lot of misunderstanding of the Honduran Constitution; there still is. It is not the United States Constitution, and is very different in many respects. For example, it once had an impeachment provision, but that was removed many years ago.
I think that my analysis of the Honduran Constitution, as provided in the article was basically correct, although as a retired attorney from the U.S., I had no previous experience with it. These comments appended to the article throw additional light on the subject:
41,48, 60, 66, 95,101, 141, 153, 163, 203, 220, 262, 281 and 282.
11. Calvin Ball:
“It’s pretty sad when I hope my government fails, but success would be disastrous.”
Maybe it’s the wording, Calvin?
Try this on for size:
“I hope the government fails to destroy our Constitution and to betray our Freedom, our Liberty and our Republic.”
“Dr. Martian Luther King, as you have so wisely defended in the past”
Martin Luther King, Jr. was a very destructive individual. His efforts at desegregation in the deep South were very useful. However, his involvement with radical non-violent political activists actually hurt those he tried to help. If MLK were alive today—he would almost certainly support Zelaya and Chavez. King literally wrote an adoring piece on Kame Nkrumah of Ghana! He found every excuse in the book to support Marxist revolutionaries. Do you need to take my word on this? Nope, one merely needs to find a readily available copy of The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr., edited by Clayborne Carson. There is little doubt but that your jaw will drop to the ground after reading King’s own essays!
BHO and Shrillary, making the world safe for tyranny.
Spri-n-g-t-i-m-e for Shril-l-a-r-y and BhOoooooo………
Remember what Shrillary is doing here. She has not given up on running for president. It`s her only reason for living. She is every bit the maxist that is BHO
At least el Presidente Chavez is happy.
“Chavez told Venezuelan state television by phone from Iran on Friday that he hopes the U.S. will make good on its decision.”
It comes, of course, as a a great but heart-warming surprise that the Great Leader of Venezuela would take the time while visiting the Glorious Leader of Iran to comment favorably on the actions of the Beloved Leader of the United States. We should all be very proud!
Perhaps there can be a remake of the old movie The Three Musketeers. President Obama could play Zero; I mean Zoro. I know, different movies, but what the heck.
I’ve said it before, and it bears repeating. Chavez must have something really good on Agent Zero, because he is calling the tune.
If anyone in the future wants to look at why the United States went through the most severe testing since the War between the States, and the American Revolution, combined, all they would have to do is look at this microcosm. The betrayal of those who place the highest priority on the dovetailing of the best of the human race with the best of the “Dead White Men”.
Allegiance to the international left is the only genuine thing about Zero. And Hillary. The agenda. Always and only the agenda. What so terrifies about bonafide lefties is their machinelike quality. Relentless. Heartless. Utterly cold.
The motivating force behind President Obama and Secretary Clinton may, indeed, be purely ideological. However, I am not sure. Venezuela’s Chávez and Iran’s Ahmadinejad may also be motivated primarily by ideology. They make that sort of noises. Having no qualification in psychiatry or psychology, I don’t know. However, it strikes me that the narcissistic lust for power which they share may have at least as much to do with their motivations as ideology. There are lots of far-leftists who have little power. Those who need power often want it for its own sake, rather than due to their ideologies.
President Obama, AKA the Waffle King, seems to say whatever he thinks will help him to get and retain power. It seems clear to me that He wants to be seen as the Savior of the United States, the One who saved the country from the George Bush the Wicked. If this means destroying the economy, supporting Chávez in Venezuela, Ahmadinejad in Iran and Zelaya in Honduras, all of whom have done a masterful job of destroying the economies of their own countries, so be it.
What President Obama needs is another crisis — or something he can convince enough people is a crisis — like the economic downturn (worked for a while and got the stimulus package passed) and Climate Change (gotta get those carbon credits flowing lest New York and California be overwhelmed by the oceans). No good crisis should be wasted. His power is at stake, and unless an adequate crisis comes along, He might well not succeed.
An horrific pandemic might work, or perhaps even an imaginary invasion by little green beings from Mars. During World War I, there was a widely held belief that Russian troops were marching through Scotland to help the Allies on the Western front; most everybody had seen them with snow on their boots or at least their tracks in the snow, or knew others who had. Ten thousand were thought to have been seen in London on their way to Victoria Station. The story appears to have been spontaneous and was completely untrue; however, it was accepted by German intelligence. With the ubiquitous internet, Twitter and a compliant press, fictitious little green beings from Mars could be passed off as a true crisis, solvable only by The One. Remember the terror unleashed by the War of the Worlds radio broadcast years ago? “Throughout New York families left their homes, some to flee to near-by parks. Thousands of persons called the police, newspapers and radio stations here and in other cities of the United States and Canada seeking advice on protective measures against the raids.”
Sure, President Obama is far to the left of anyone I would want to have as President, but I think it may be a mistake to blame everything He does simply on ideology. There is more to it than that, and if we ignore his apparently overwhelming desire for power for its own sake, I think we make a serious blunder.
With the Obama’s lack of respect for the rule of law on such naked display, how will they adjust themselves to losing an election? Can we expect Obama to try to amend the Constitution to permit him to serve more than 2 terms? Or worse, will he follow the examples of his simpaticos Hugo Chavez in Venezuela and Manuel Zelaya in Honduras and seek (or in Zelaya’s case, attempt) to make himself President for life?
“What, if anything, are the people at the U.S. Department of State thinking?”
State believes Russia should be appeased in its ambitions; they know the whole “Russia is a mess” thinking is a simple marketing deception. Of course it’s a mess; it was also a mess when we were worried about missiles in Cuba, invasions in Afghanistan, and thermonuclear weapon imbalance before Rekjavik. Russia is always a mess. Ignore it.
So now that we have a Leninist in office, probably more a useful idiot whose residency was intended to open all the back doors into the permanent government, the demonic imps who whisper into his ear about global re-alignment, to the advantage of Russia, sound plausible to Obama, a good organizing principle around which to design and implement a strategy of rejuvinating global opinion about the USA.
So they make some noises about the legitimacy of the Honduran president (elected, etc.) whose presidency is supported by the organization of Latin American states (dominated by Communists), and think: Ok, we’ll go with Zelaya.
That’s it. Meanwhile, USA is probably now vulnerable to a first strike more than at any time in the last 50 years and our government is being subverted from within. And if you try to point this out to anyone they’ll tell you you’re a McCarthyist, fascist paranoid Bircher.
Well, the KGB rules Russia rather openly now, Russia has deployed road-mobile ICBMs, and is rapidly arming everyone of the enemies of the USA everyone reads about in the news every day. So who’s the paranoid and who’s the ignoramus? Nevertheless, global rapprochement with tyrannies who conduct themselves secretly makes friendly headlines. So, that’s why, in my opinion.
“so when a guy who’s been freely elected is removed by a coup,”
Bibio, even by your low, low standards that one is astonishingly moronic.
What more do you expect from a man that can”t stand our constitution,forcsure he would not let some one eles keep and protect theres.
Obama has plans to try and increase term limits.
http://www.end22.com/
obama grassroots campaign to allow 3rd term
Hera are the websites that will answer all your questions about the legal removal of Zelaya.
http://lagringasblogicito.blogspot.com/
http://blog.aeortiz.com
http://www.world4honduras.com/
hondurasnews.com
also go to pjtv.com and search hondruas. great interviews from officials of the interim government and business leaders who are friends with Z’liar.
The obvious:
As the facts are in plain sight for anyone wanting to see them the question then becomes,
Why is the current administration placing it’s support behind a legally removed former President, who violated his own countries Constitution in an attempt to remain in power, over supporting the current Democratic government which is upholding the Honduran Constitution and standing up for the rule of law as put forth in their constitution.
Why would the government of the United States of America not support a budding Democracy in favor of a banana republic wannabe dictator?
And to think America was once the one place those longing for freedom would at times risk even their lives to come to…
what a difference 6 months make….
The economic sanctions being used as a weapon by the obama administration against the Honduran people show the true character of obama.
He was unwilling to say a peep during the Iranian Election struggle in opposition to a tyrant when the Iranian people were in desperate need of support,
Yet he is willing to take action & cut off hundreds in millions of U.S. dollars in all kinds of humanitarian aid to a small struggling Democratic country that is showing more backbone than obama will ever have.
Gee what a brave man obama is…
He is making the Honduran people pay for his own Marxist agenda.. Where is his liberal compassion for the people of Honduras?
Obama is a disgrace to any thinking American. We are suppose to be the helping hand where any country fighting for its right of freedom for its citizens can turn to for help. Obviously that time is no more.
Obama can lay back in the White House and act like he is doing nothing wrong which is his style, let others do the dirty work.. Hillary is carrying his water at the state dept.
What is the obama administration doing? Obama is stomping on the neck of the Honduran people in their time of need.
Totally and utterly disgusting…
As Americans I encourage everyone of you to stand up and not let the obama administration choke the freedom out of the Honduran people.
It is clearly obvious this is his intentions not only for Honduras but America as well..
Defeat the Marxist obama….
Buoyed by the US statements, Chavez is now issuing the next set of directives since the US, Oscar Aries and the world are doing what he is instructing them to do…
“HugoChávez said today from Tehran that in the event that the ousted Manuel Zelaya returns to power “in September,” the general elections scheduled for November should be postponed for the “next year.”
as reported in the Honduran Spanish newspaper proceso.hn on Sept 5.
What was that part about Zelaya returning to power and turning over the presidency to the next elected president??
Z’liar and Chavez have their plans and the US is saying….We will not accept your democratic elections on Nov 29, 2009 because the Chavez-puppet, Mel Zelaya is not sitting in the Presidential Palace issuing orders to his Venezuelan provided army and guards to kill and imprison all his opposition, shut down news media outlets, and turn Honduras into a Cuban/Venezuelan prison for all Hondurans.
I am shocked but far from surprised that Chávez is now insisting that the Honduran elections be postponed “until next year,” as noted in Comment No. 34. This was presaged by Zelaya’s 23 August broadcast remarks noted in Comment #8 to the effect that when reinstated, his term must be extended by an amount of time corresponding to the length of his ouster. Since his original term in office would have expired in January 2010, were he reinstated on that basis tomorrow, that would give him at least until sometime in March 2010 to remain in office. The effect on the scheduled mid November 2009 elections, including their postponement and rigging by Chavistas and Zelaya’s other friends, is anybody’s guess. It probably does not make much difference what Chávez meant by saying that the general elections scheduled for November should be postponed for the “next year.” And, since Zelaya in his 23 August broadcast insisted that those associated with the “coup” be jailed for life, the current crop of candidates for office presumably would be in no position to run for election.
Should Chávez have his way, the free world will have lost, big time, and Chávez’s supporters will be even happier than the Obama Administration has already made them by its apparently growing support of Zelaya and its patent disregard of the Honduran Constitution. The happy faces doubtless will include the FARC, which on 23 July “offered their solidarity to the cause of Manuel Zelaya. . . .”
On a side note, which should — but probably will not — much disturb the Obama Administration, “according to PressTV, a Tehran-based, English-language television channel, Chávez . . . said Venezuela is working on a plan for a “nuclear zone” in Venezuela, with Iranian assistance.” According to Ahmadinejad, “Iran and Venezuela share the important mission of helping oppressed, revolutionary nations and of extending the anti-imperialist front across the planet.
The more I see of the Obama Administration, the more it seems to resemble that of el Presidente Chávez. President Obama has been in office for less than eight months. Chávez has been in office since February 1999 — more than a ten years. President Obama has done more harm to the United States during his few months in office than the relatively little that Chávez was able to do during his first year. By the end of President Obama’s first term, in January 2013, he is likely to have accelerated the pace — unless his majority control of both houses of the Congress is eliminated in the 2010 elections. I can conceive of no other way to restrain his pernicious efforts.
The President of the UN General Assembly, Nicaraguan Miguel D’Escoto, a great buddy of Chavez, will also doubtless be very happy.
In a meeting with Fidel Castro, the glorious former leader of that bastion of freedom and democracy, Cuba, D’Escoto said that the “world’s revolutionaries will have [Castro]. . . around for a long time.” He characterized Castro’s recovery from illness as a gift of God.”
He did not say which god.
That’s nice.
Here is a link to another good article on Honduras.”
“By denouncing rather than praising Honduras’ defense of its democracy, and by cutting off all aid to the Honduran government, the Obama Administration has sent the wrong message to Hondurans who have paid an enormous price for it.”
“It sent the wrong message to Hugo Chavez and other regional despots who now must question America’s commitment to defending democracy.
And it sent the wrong message to Americans concerned about Obama’s commitment to democratic values in the wake of “Fishygate” and the intimidation of critics of the President at town hall meetings by his union supporters.”
The message is clear, and it is the wrong one insofar as it does not portray the United States as we wish she were. Unfortunately, it sends a clear and accurate message concerning the way things actually are.
Obviously, I neglected to close the tab in #37. It should be closed immediately after the word “link.”
Thanks
Honduras is standing firm, despite the efforts by the Obama Administration to force the reinstatement of Zelaya. According to the linked article, “In fact, the government of interim President Roberto Micheletti appears to be digging in its heels against Zelaya by circulating accusations the ousted president illegally used public money to keep horses, buy watches and jewelry and repair his Harley-Davidson motorcycle.”
These accusations appear to have substantial basis. The list of quite irregular expenditures is long and strange.
Here is an excellent article on the situation in Honduras. It puts the current happenings there into an historical perspective, and shows just how very wrong –and sadly misguided — the Obama Administration has been in Latin America.
This satire is great! It mocks those who demand the reinstatement of Zelaya, demands that the coup against Governor Blagojevich be reversed, that he be immediately restored to the position to which he was elected, that a truth and reconciliation commission headed by Zelaya be appointed, and that lots more be done lest “this travesty . . . put into jeopardy corrupt leaders all over the world.”
I have this reoccurring thought that George Soros is bending the ear of both Clinton and Obama.
The United Nations Human Rights Council just struck another blow for “human rights!” The representative from Honduras, who lacks the blessing of Zelaya, was kicked out.
“The dramatic scenes came after Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Cuba insisted that Delmer Urbizo, who has served as ambassador in Geneva for three years, could not stay unless he was approved by ousted Honduran president Manuel Zelaya.”
I can’t imagine why either Honduras or its representative, Sr. Urbizo, would want to be there in the first place. It seems obvious, at least to me, that Honduras, which represents the rule of law and constitutional government, has no place in such a group.
No country spoke in defense of Sr. Urbizo or Honduras. However, the United States representative said, in a different context,
“The United States will not look the other way in the face of serious human rights abuses . . . While we will aim for common ground, we will call things as we see them and we will stand our ground when the truth is at stake.”
But of course! How could anyone doubt it?
Here is a translation of an article in la Gringa’s blog of an article by Mauricio Villeda, a member of the negotiating committee of the interim government. It shows the Honduran determination to defy the intrusion by the United States Government into their internal affairs, and asks that the visas of various United States officials be revoked.
The article is well written and well translated. It should be read. There is also a lengthy thread of comments, and they too are articulate and worth reading.
Dan, if my suspicions are correct, Canadian Prime Minister Harper has sold Honduras out, as we see in this communique: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125312098169316605.html