[HNA] Fwd: President Obama's Credibility on the Line in Honduras

[Tito Meza]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Celso Castro <celcas2000 at gmail.com>
Date: Wed, Nov 4, 2009 at 10:16 PM
Subject: President Obama's Credibility on the Line in Honduras
To: hondurasusaresistencia at yahoo.com


http://upsidedownworld.org/main/content/view/2197/68/

  Written by Mark Weisbrot     Thursday, 05 November 2009

Source: *Guardian
Unlimited*<http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/nov/04/honduras-zelaya-agreement-obama-clinton>

Last Friday an *agreement*<http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/oct/30/honduras-zelaya-deal-coup>was
reached between the de facto regime in
*Honduras* <http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/honduras>, which took power in a
military coup on 28 June, and the elected president Manuel Zelaya, for the
restoration of democracy there.

US secretary of state *Hillary
Clinton*<http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/hillaryclinton>,
in announcing what she called an *historic
agreement*<http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/31/world/americas/31honduras.html>,
said: "I cannot think of another example of a country in Latin America that
… overcame such a crisis through negotiation and dialogue." Hopefully this
will turn out to be true.

But the ink was barely dry on the accord when leaders of the coup regime
indicated that they had no intention of honouring it. Some of them clearly
saw the agreement as just another delaying tactic. They have talked of
postponing congressional approval of the accord until after the 29 November
elections, or even voting not to restore Zelaya.

If the Honduran congress delays or rejects the restoration of Zelaya, it
will violate the clear intent of the accord. The agreement
*states*<http://hondurasemb.org/2009/11/04/press-briefing-latin-american-ambassadors-press-for-restitution-in-honduras/>:
"The decision the national congress adopts should establish a basis for
achieving the social peace, political tranquility and democratic
governability the society requires and the country needs." This and other
language makes it clear that the negotiators – who have the ability to
deliver the votes in congress – agreed on Zelaya's restoration.

Furthermore, justice delayed here is justice denied. Two-thirds of the
legally allowed campaign period has already lapsed, under conditions of
dictatorship that made free election campaigning impossible.

The *Obama administration*<http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/obama-administration>has
itself been divided on what to do about the military overthrow of
democracy in Honduras. Hence the mixed signals and vacillation from the very
beginning, when the first statement from the White House failed to even
condemn the coup.

Those in the administration who think they can now wash their hands of the
accord and let the coup leaders turn their back on it had better think
twice. The Obama team has embarrassed itself enough by having to be
pressured by the rest of the hemisphere to tell the coup government that
Washington would not recognise the 29 November elections without prior
restoration of Zelaya. Just a few weeks earlier, the Obama administration
had blocked the Organisation of American States from passing a resolution to
this effect.

But now Washington's credibility is really on the line. The Obama team
brokered this accord and got a commitment from the coup leaders. If they go
back on it, how much will the Obama administration's word be worth on
anything else? Everyone knows that Washington has the ability to force the
coup regime to comply. There are billions of dollars of its assets in the US
that could be frozen or seized. Seventy percent of the country's exports go
to the US. The coup regime has no international legitimacy and no standing
to challenge the US under international treaties for any economic sanctions
that might be invoked.

The Obama administration never used the effective tools at its disposal.
Instead it dithered for months, finally *cutting off a fraction of its
aid*<http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-us-honduras4-2009sep04,0,1312087.story>to
the coup government and
*revoking some visas*<http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jul/28/honduras-usa-visa-micheletti-zelaya>.
The administration refused to even declare that a military coup had taken
place, since this would have required more cuts in foreign assistance.

Most tellingly, Washington refused to denounce the massive human rights
violations committed by the dictatorship. These included police beatings,
illegal detention of thousands, closing of independent radio and television,
suspension of civil rights and even some political murders. The crimes were
denounced by all major human rights organisations, inside and outside of
Honduras – and by many governments – but the Obama administration maintained
a deafening silence.

Based on the recent past, the coup leaders – one of whom was forced to *resign
his post as foreign
minister*<http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106681043>after
levelling racial epithets at Obama – might think they can safely
ignore the agreement. But the rest of the hemisphere, and the Honduran
people – who have courageously resisted the coup from day one – will not let
them get away with it. No one will recognise the November elections if
Zelaya is not restored promptly.

Tuesday night, Thomas Shannon, the US assistant secretary of state for
western hemisphere affairs, told CNN en Espanol that *the US plans to
recognise the November
elections*<http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jAkMGKIUDg_ngUiZboxQbYj5_DPwD9BOSEJ00>whether
or not Zelaya is restored. This would definitely put Washington on a
collision course with the rest of the hemisphere, including Brazil.
Furthermore, according to diplomats close to the negotiations, both Shannon
and Hillary Clinton had given assurances that last week's accord would bring
Zelaya back to the presidency.

Shannon's statement to CNN prompted a letter from Zelaya to Clinton, asking
whether the US government had changed its position on the coup d'etat in
Honduras.

Obama now has a choice. He can force the coup regime to honour the accord or
lose further credibility among governments in the hemisphere and the world.
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