Sunday, July 5, 2009

DAY 8: UPDATE 10PM: ZELAYA ARRIVES TO EL SALVADOR; CONFIRMS MEETING TOMORROW IN WASHINGTON WITH SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY CLINTON

President Zelaya has arrived safely to San Salvador, reuniting with the heads of state from Argentina, Ecuador and Paraguay, and OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza. They are expected to meet tonight and discuss alternatives to President Zelaya's return to Honduras, after his first attempt was thwarted by the coup forces that impeded his landing in the Tegucigalpa airport by placing army vehicles and personnel on the runway.

A confirmed meeting is taking place tomorrow in Washington, D.C., between President Zelaya and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Zelaya is expected to fly early tomorrow to the US capital. Clinton will most likely seek to negotiate some kind of agreement between the coup forces and President Zelaya in order to ensure his safe return and reinstate constitutional order.

Nevertheless, there are many concerns that Washington is looking to support its allies in Honduras, primarily those in the business and military sector who have been heavily involved in this coup, while trying to "save face" and project a "positive" non-interventionist image of Obama in Latin America. However, many question the late response by the Obama administration to the military coup, now a week in the making, and the outright lack of condemnation by Obama and Clinton regarding human rights violations committed by the coup government and repression of press freedoms. No comment has been made by Washington regarding the forced national curfew imposed by the coup government, which is now from 6pm through 6am, the suspension of constitutional rights, the censoring of media outlets not favorable to the coup, the detaining and persecution of journalists and members of Zelaya's cabinet and family, and the dead and wounded at the hands of the coup military forces. There are also questions regarding Washington's ambiguity to the coup, refusing to initially classify the events as a coup d'etat under US law, which would require immediate suspension of economic and military aid to Honduras.

No deal should be cut with the coup forces in Honduras, and by no means should Zelaya or the people of Honduras permit "early elections", which is one of the "ways out" that Clinton may push for tomorrow.

5 comments:

Unknown said...

Anyone else betting on it becoming Haiti 2004 Version 2.0...?

Unknown said...

It is exactly right -- and vital -- that Zelaya not be conned or pressured into accepting any "deal" with the U.S. and its honduran proxies. Because any "deal" which stops the constitutional reform Zelaya was championing is a hard strategic blow aimed at the very heart of ALBA and the socialist project of the masses of América Latina.

This is a non-negotiable situation -- and I hope Zelaya understands this. Better to fight a war than to concede to demands for "reasonableness" from one's mortal enemies. The sweet words contain the dagger aimed at our collective heart.

NuestraAmericaNews said...

Land the damn plan in the U.S. military air space in Honduras. They can't stop the president from Landing on U.S. air space. What are they going to do? If they don't allow the President to land in the air space we know its the U.S. involvement. If they do than the President can see his people.

Élise Hendrick said...

To me, the key to understanding the situation is the Honduran military's reaction to the statements of US officials. Nothing in their behaviour indicates that they take the mild condemnation by their only source of weapons seriously, and I don't see any reason to take US officials' statements more seriously than the Honduran army does.

NuestraAmericaNews said...

U.S. military in Honduras are under the Authority of the Honduras Interm Gov't. U.S. official confirmed during a news conference on the Honduras situation. Are U.S. troops who are confined to there Barracks Planning to leave the country? Even while Barack Obama condemned the situation why does the Honduras gov't continue to allow communications with U.S. troops by the interm gov't? Isn't that given the interm gov't legitimacy? I also agree with El Che. They want to intervine and implement there strategic goals in Honduras and the hemisphere. The only option is a military front with all the nations of ALBA and other countries to remove the fascist. This must not be allowed to continue a strike at there airforce as sad as it is. This will show the world that in Latin America it will not be supported.