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<div class=Section1>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=1 face=Verdana><span style='font-size:9.0pt;
font-family:Verdana'>El gobierno de Estados Unidos contradice la voluntad </span></font><st1:State><st1:place><font
size=1 face=Verdana><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>del</span></font></st1:place></st1:State><font
size=1 face=Verdana><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Verdana'> pueblo
de Honduras<br>
<br>
Más </span></font><st1:City><st1:place><font size=1 face=Verdana><span
style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>resistencia</span></font></st1:place></st1:City><font
size=1 face=Verdana><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>, más
solidaridad<br>
Ayer, el Frente Nacional contra el Golpe de Estado garantizó, en su 22º
comunicado, la decisión de mantener las manifestaciones. También informó sobre
su interés en convocar a una Asamblea Constituyente para la elaboración de una
nueva Carta Magna para el país. Su contenido debería traer mejoras para las
mayorías empobrecidas y una democracia realmente participativa.<br>
Las mujeres feministas del continente desarrollarán movilizaciones frente a las
oficinas de Naciones Unidas en todos los países del continente y entregarán en
Ginebra, una carta dirigida al Alto Comisionado para los Derechos Humanos en la
que le solicitan que instale una oficina permanente de esa instancia
internacional en Honduras.<br>
Se realizará un mega concierto de arte, música y cultura el Domingo 23 de
Agosto del 2009, donde participarán artistas hondureños y grupos artísticos de
otros países hermanos entre los que se destaca el reconocido grupo los
Guaraguao.<br>
Es preciso mantener la presencia de delegaciones internacionales en Honduras y
desarrollar campañas de recolección de fondos que permitan sostener la
resistencia popular. La Alianza Social Continental está preparando algunas
herramientas para facilitar esta tarea en todo el mundo. Actualmente se
encuentra en Tegucigalpa, con el respaldo de la ASC, una delegación de
religiosas y religiosos estadounidenses, que están acompañando al pueblo de
Honduras y expresando la solidaridad internacional.<br>
Carlos Eduardo Reina, coordinador general de la Coordinadora de Liberales en
Contra el Golpe del Estado, en entrevista concedida a Jennifer Moore (ALAI y
FEDAEPS) el pasado 18 de agosto informó que “En este momento, siete de
cada diez hondureños apoya la resistencia. Dos de cada diez no opinan y
solo uno de cada diez apoya el régimen golpista.<br>
Las Fuerzas Armadas, en este momento, internamente tienen serios
problemas. Tienen cerca de 200 entre soldados y oficiales presos dentro
de los batallones, porque ellos no han aceptado y no han acatado los
órdenes de ir a reprimir. Hay una crisis interna.”<br>
También expresó que el proceso electoral, en el contexto actual, carece de
legitimidad. <br>
La Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos en Honduras.<br>
La Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos –CIDH- adelanta una visita
en Honduras desde el 17 al 21 de agosto para recaudar in situ pruebas
sobre la situación de los derechos humanos en el contexto del golpe de Estado
que se fraguó el 28 de junio en ese país. Integran la delegación de derechos
humanos, la presidenta de la CIDH, Luz Patricia Mejía (Venezuela) , el
vicepresidente, Víctor Abramovich (Argentina), el segundo vicepresidente
y relator para Honduras, Felipe Gonzáles (Chile), el Comisionado Pablo Carozza
(Chile) y el Director Ejecutivo de la CIDH, Santiago Cantón (Argentina).
Hasta el momento, la CIDH también se reunió con funcionarios del régimen
de facto.<br>
Las cinco delegaciones internacionales que hasta el momento han visitado a
Honduras han testimoniado cómo a medida que pasa el tiempo, las tácticas de la
represión se tornan cada vez más crueles y violentas y que la libertad de
expresión sigue restringida, así como otros derechos y garantías individuales.<br>
Algunos lugares de reunión utilizados por el Frente Nacional contra el Golpe de
Estado también han sido objeto de vigilancia, ocupación y agresión, como el
edificio del Sindicato de Trabajadores de Bebidas (STIBYS), las oficinas de Vía
Campesina y la Universidad Pedagógica. <br>
<br>
Reacciones en América Latina<br>
El gobierno de Costa Rica anunció este martes que desconocerá a la embajadora
de Honduras en ese país, Koritza Suazo, por estar a favor del golpe de Estado.
Por su parte, el gobierno argentino ha expresado que no reconoce la medida de
expulsión tomada por la dictadura hacia los diplomáticos argentinos y la
ruptura de relaciones con ese país, luego de que Buenos Aires desconociera a la
embajadora hondureña, Carmen Eleonora Ortez Williams, por apoyar al gobierno
ilegítimo de Roberto Micheletti.<br>
El Presidente Manuel Zelaya atendió el miércoles la invitación del Presidente Alán
García de Perú a sostener con él una reunión de trabajo en Lima. Aunque Perú es
uno de los pocos países que no retiró su embajada en Tegucigalpa y ha expresado
su respaldo al Plan Arias.<br>
Los cancilleres de Argentina, Jorge Taiana y de México, Patricia Espinosa, se
pronunciaron en contra de que en Honduras se realicen elecciones bajo el
régimen golpista de Roberto Micheletti <br>
<br>
Reacciones en Europa<br>
El Partido de la Refundación Comunista – Izquierda Europea (PRC-IE)
expresó mediante un comunicado que “exige al gobierno italiano, a la
Unión Europea y sus Estados miembros la suspensión de todas las negociaciones
sobre el Acuerdo de Asociación UE-Centro América, así como la suspensión del
Sistema Preferencial de aranceles Generales (SPG plus) con Honduras (que
permiten un acceso preferencial al mercado comunitario para los productos
procedentes de “Países en desarrollo” que respetan las normas
internacionales en tema de derechos humanos y derechos laborales) que no puede
aplicarse a países que son responsables de graves y sistemáticas violaciones a
estos derechos como viene sucediendo desde hace mas de un mes en
Honduras.”<br>
<br>
La bendición estadounidense<br>
Según información aparecida en la página web <a href="http://www.elheraldo.hn,">http://www.elheraldo.hn,</a>
“El gobierno estadounidense aceptó este martes reunirse con una
delegación de los golpistas como parte del plan Arias de restauración de la
democracia, dijo ayer el portavoz del Departamento de Estado, Ian Kelly. La
agenda incluye una reunión con el secretario de Estado adjunto en funciones,
Craig Kelly.<br>
La condescendencia, por decir lo menos, del gobierno estadounidense con los
responsables del golpe de Estado en Honduras, constituye una oposición clara a
la voluntad del pueblo de Honduras y a las decisiones de la comunidad
internacional que exigieron el restablecimiento inmediato e incondicional del
gobierno de Zelaya.<br>
Por todo lo anterior, la Alianza Social Continental expresa que:<br>
• Espera que la visita de la CIDH y el informe que presente a la
OEA, brinde elementos que faciliten la presión internacional hacia la
recuperación del orden constitucional en Honduras y el regreso del Presidente
Manuel Zelaya al ejercicio de su cargo.<br>
• Exige a los gobiernos de la comunidad internacional abstenerse de
reconocer cualquier legitimidad al régimen golpista en cabeza de Roberto
Michelleti.<br>
• Llama a los movimientos, organizaciones y redes sociales de todo
el mundo, a fortalecer la solidaridad con la resistencia del pueblo hondureño a
través de delegaciones que vayan a Honduras para alentar y dar testimonio de la
resistencia, y también a desarrollar acciones eficaces y prontas de recaudación
de fondos.<br>
• Reafirma su compromiso y voluntad de respaldar y acompañar la
resistencia de los movimientos sociales en Honduras, en defensa de la
democracia, la dignidad y la soberanía de Nuestra América.</span></font><font
size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;
color:navy'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
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<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy;mso-no-proof:yes'>Angel Tito Meza</span></font><font
color=navy><span style='color:navy;mso-no-proof:yes'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy;mso-no-proof:yes'>Community Organizer</span></font><font
color=navy><span style='color:navy;mso-no-proof:yes'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy;mso-no-proof:yes'>Somerville Community
Corporation</span></font><font color=navy><span style='color:navy;mso-no-proof:
yes'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy;mso-no-proof:yes'>337 Somerville, Ave.
Somerville, MA</span></font><font color=navy><span style='color:navy;
mso-no-proof:yes'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy;mso-no-proof:yes'>Tel. (617) 776-5931E231</span></font><font
color=navy><span style='color:navy;mso-no-proof:yes'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy;mso-no-proof:yes'>Fax: 776-0724</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>-----Original Message-----<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>From:</span></b>
announce-bounces@hondurasresists.org
[mailto:announce-bounces@hondurasresists.org] <b><span style='font-weight:bold'>On
Behalf Of </span></b>Kaveri Rajaraman<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> Wednesday, August 19, 2009
8:57 PM<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> announce@hondurasresists.org<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> [HNA] Action Alert:
Honduras Testimonies Show Extent of PoliceViolence</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'><a
href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=HYyiKrZPFUQrYVorW8Pp3BVa3HopAitE"
target="_blank"></a><b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Action Alert:<br>
<br>
Urge the Miami Herald and McClatchy to Report on Amnesty's Charges</span></b> <br>
No word yet from the Miami Herald or McClatchy on the Amnesty International
report, although it has been reported by CNN, the New York Times, the Christian
Science Monitor, and AP. Send the Herald and McClatchy a note.<br>
<a
href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=bU%2Fn53jMUBC2iSdPx3tMARVa3HopAitE"
target="_blank">http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/act/herald</a><br>
<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'><br>
Amnesty International: Honduras Testimonies Show Extent of Police Violence</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<div>
<div>
<p style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>There has been very little attention in the U.S. press
to repression in Honduras under the coup regime. Hopefully, that will now
change: Amnesty International issued a report today documenting "serious
ill-treatment by police and military of peaceful protesters" in Honduras,
warning that "beatings and mass arrests are being used as a way of punishing
people for voicing their opposition" to the coup.<br>
<a
href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=Go1fo2EmZQN%2BwlwXlEbqexVa3HopAitE"
target="_blank">http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/node/298</a><br>
<br>
<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Support the Work of Just Foreign Policy</span></b>
<br>
Your financial contributions to Just Foreign Policy help us create
opportunities for Americans to advocate for a just foreign policy.<br>
<a
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target="_blank">http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/donate.html</a><br>
<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Summary:</span></b><br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'><a href="#12334ff62dd1ba89_August1909w1">U.S./Top
News</a></span></b> <br>
1) Amnesty International says in the seven weeks since the coup in Honduras,
several hundred people protesting against the de facto government have been
arbitrarily arrested and beaten by government forces, CNN reports.
"Detention and ill treatment of protesters are being employed as a form of
punishment for those openly opposing the de facto government and also as a
deterrent for those contemplating taking to the streets to peacefully show
their discontent," said Amnesty's Central America researcher.<br>
<br>
2) A Washington Post-ABC News poll says a majority of Americans now see the war
in Afghanistan as not worth fighting and just a quarter say more U.S. troops
should be sent to the country, the Washington Post reports. Majorities of
liberals and Democrats solidly oppose the war and are calling for a reduction
in troops. Nearly two-thirds of liberals stand against a troop increase, as do
about six in 10 Democrats. Women have shifted against the war more sharply than
men and are far more apt to say troop levels should be decreased (51 percent)
than are men (38 percent). Nearly six in 10 women say the war was not worth
fighting.<br>
<br>
3) U.S. envoy Holbrooke met with Liaqat Baloch, a leader of Pakistan's
"anti-American" Jamaat-i-Islami party, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Jamaat-i-Islami is one of the most influential Pakistani Islamist parties, and
its anti-American views are widely shared, U.S. officials say. A US official
described the conversation as a major outreach effort. Baloch told Holbrooke he
welcomed Obama's declarations that he wants a better relationship with the
Muslim world. But he insisted that, with American drone strikes in Pakistan and
troops in Afghanistan, "there still is no change in the practice."<br>
<br>
4) The Obama administration and Syria agreed to establish a committee with Iraq
to monitor the Syrian-Iraqi border as the U.S. draws down troops from Iraq, the
Wall Street Journal reports. In June, the top U.S. commander in Iraq said there
had been a significant decrease in foreign fighters entering Iraq from Syria.
"The Baathists have been coming under a lot of pressure in the last few
months," said one diplomat. "Some have been kicked out, some have
been told to shut up." Syria's moves seem to be a response to Obama's
active outreach efforts, the Journal says. The administration has announced the
return of a U.S ambassador to Damascus and eased U.S. sanctions.<br>
<br>
5) A State Department report says Mexico's fight against drug traffickers
generated a sixfold increase in human rights complaints against the Mexican
military between 2006 and 2008, and it is unclear any of those complaints
resulted in prosecutions, the New York Times reports. Senator Leahy said the
report failed to adequately address the concerns about impunity within the
Mexican military that led him to threaten to hold up millions of dollars in
U.S. assistance. A spokeswoman for the Miguel Augustín Pro Juárez Human Rights
Center called on the U.S. to withhold the funds.<br>
<br>
6) The US said it had complained to Israel about restrictions on the travel of
US citizens of Palestinian origin, calling the measures
"unacceptable," AFP reports. Israel has been issuing entry stamps for
some travelers, mostly those of Arab ancestry, stating that they are only
allowed in the Palestinian Authority and cannot transit through Israel.
"We have made it quite known to the Israeli government ... that we expect
all American citizens to be treated the same regardless of their national
origin," the State Department said.<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'><br>
<a href="#12334ff62dd1ba89_August1909w2">Israel/Palestine</a></span></b> <br>
7) Israel's housing minister said his government had not given final approval
for any new housing projects in the West Bank since it took office, the New
York Times reports. Peace Now said more than 1,000 Israeli housing units are
currently under construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The group
noted that Israel has not issued invitations for new bids since November 2008,
but that government-sponsored construction accounts for only about 40 percent
of building in the settlements while private building initiated by settler
groups continues.<br>
<br>
8) Israel has declared the shooting of unarmed American demonstrator Tristan
Anderson in the West Bank to be an "act of war," the Palestine Media
Center reports. Anderson was critically injured in March when Israeli soldiers
shot him in the forehead with a high velocity tear gas canister. He remains
unconscious in Tel Aviv's Tel Hashomer Hospital. Attorney Leah Tsemel said the
"act of war" designation releases the government from paying
compensation, and that Israel makes this designation "all the time,"
in cases involving Palestinian victims.<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'><br>
<a href="#12334ff62dd1ba89_August1909w3">Cuba</a></span></b> <br>
9) A delegation of U.S. Catholic leaders urged the Obama administration to
seize what they called a rare political opportunity to lift the 47-year-old
economic embargo against Cuba, AP reports. Bishop Thomas Wenski said the
delegation came away from a meeting with U.S. officials with the impression
that U.S. policy toward Cuba is under review and that "their approach seems
to be piece by piece." He urged a quicker pace after "50 years of
lack of confidence on both sides." Cuba has pushed for release of the
"Cuban Five," men convicted of being unregistered foreign agents by a
Miami court. Cuba says the men were trying to avoid terrorist attacks on the
island.<br>
<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'><a href="#12334ff62dd1ba89_August1909w4">Peru</a></span></b>
<br>
10) Some experts say Peru could displace Colombia in 2011 as the world's
biggest producer of coca, the raw material of cocaine, EFE reports, citing La
Republica. Peru, like Bolivia, allows cultivation of coca in small quantities
for use in teas, folk remedies and Andean religious rites.<br>
<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Contents:<br>
<a name="12334ff62dd1ba89_August1909w1"></a>U.S./Top News</span></b> <br>
1) Police brutality rampant in Honduras, amnesty report says<br>
CNN, August 19, 2009<br>
<a
href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=DPTJLL6YytZCEbpXC0UCDhVa3HopAitE"
target="_blank">http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/08/19/honduras.amnesty.report/index.html</a><br>
<br>
In the seven weeks since the military-backed bloodless coup
["bloodless"?! - JFP] in Honduras, several hundred people protesting
against the de facto government have been arbitrarily arrested and beaten by
government forces, a new Amnesty International report says.<br>
<br>
The report, released Wednesday, said the beatings were meant to punish those
who opposed the ouster of President Manuel Zelaya in June.<br>
<br>
It includes testimony from, and photographs of, several people who were
baton-whipped and detained by police officers who sometimes wore no visible
identification and hid their faces behind bandanas as they broke up
demonstrations.<br>
<br>
"They beat us if we raised our heads; they beat us when they were getting
us into the police cars," said a student whom Amnesty International
interviewed in late July at the police station where he was being detained.
"They said, 'Cry and we'll stop.'"<br>
<br>
Multiple requests to the government for comment went unanswered. The government
has said in the past that the demonstrators were arrested for engaging in
violence and provoking authorities.<br>
[...]<br>
Among several examples, the Amnesty report quotes F.M., a 52-year-old teacher,
who said he was demonstrating peacefully when police descended on the rally.
"They grabbed me and shouted, 'Why do you (all) support Zelaya's
government?' They beat me. I have not been informed as to why I am
detained." He showed deep-red imprints on his back, which he said were
from a beating with a baton.<br>
<br>
"Detention and ill treatment of protesters are being employed as a form of
punishment for those openly opposing the de facto government and also as a
deterrent for those contemplating taking to the streets to peacefully show
their discontent with the political turmoil the country is experiencing,"
said Esther Major, Amnesty's Central America researcher.<br>
<br>
2) Majority in Post-ABC Poll Say Afghan War Not Worth Fighting<br>
Few Express Confidence in Lasting Results From Thursday's Election<br>
Jennifer Agiesta and Jon Cohen, Washington Post, Wednesday, August 19, 2009
4:58 PM <br>
<a
href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=pOmm6Rf3IR%2BtIdUrS0vb%2FxVa3HopAitE"
target="_blank">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/19/AR2009081903066.html</a><br>
<br>
A majority of Americans now see the war in Afghanistan as not worth fighting
and just a quarter say more U.S. troops should be sent to the country,
according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.<br>
...<br>
The new poll comes amid widespread speculation that the top U.S. commander in
Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, will request more troops for his
stepped-up effort to root the Taliban from Afghan towns and villages. That is a
position that gets the backing of 24 percent of those polled, while nearly
twice as many, 45 percent, want to decrease the number of military forces
there. (Most of the remainder say to keep the level about the same.)<br>
<br>
In January, before President Obama authorized sending an additional 17,000
troops to the country, public sentiment tilted more strongly toward a troop
increase.<br>
<br>
Should President Obama embrace his general's call for even more U.S. military
forces, he risks alienating some of his staunchest supporters While 60 percent
of all Americans approve of how Obama has handled the situation in Afghanistan,
his ratings among liberals have slipped and majorities of liberals and
Democrats alike now, for the first time, solidly oppose the war and are calling
for a reduction in troops.<br>
<br>
Overall, seven in 10 Democrats say the war has not been worth its costs, and
fewer than one in five support an increase in troop levels. Nearly two-thirds
of the most committed Democrats now feel "strongly" that the war was
not worth fighting. Among moderate and conservative Democrats, a slim majority
say the United States is losing in Afghanistan.<br>
[...]<br>
Among all adults, 51 percent now say the war is not worth fighting, up six
points since last month and four points above the previous high, reached in
February. Less than half, 47 percent, say the war is worth its costs. Those
strongly opposed (41 percent) outweigh strong proponents (31 percent).<br>
[...]<br>
Among liberals, his rating on handling the war, which he calls one of
"necessity," has fallen swiftly, with strong approval cratering by 20
points. Nearly two-thirds of liberals stand against a troop increase, as do
about six in 10 Democrats.<br>
[...]<br>
Beyond ideological and partisan divisions on the war, women have shifted
against the war more sharply than men and are far more apt to say troop levels
should be decreased (51 percent) than are men (38 percent). Nearly six in 10
women say the war was not worth fighting, up from just under half last month.<br>
<br>
3) U.S. envoy has 'useful dialogue' with anti-American Pakistani leader<br>
The Islamist politician speaks warmly to Richard Holbrooke, then drives off to
a demonstration against the U.S. presence in the region. The talks illustrate
the Obama approach to foreign policy.<br>
Paul Richter, Los Angeles Times, August 19, 2009<br>
<a
href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=0ED0BkJxnByL%2F3dk%2FkzwBxVa3HopAitE"
target="_blank">http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-pakistan-holbrooke19-2009aug19,0,6301902.story</a><br>
<br>
Islamabad, Pakistan - Obama administration officials have pledged to talk to
world leaders no matter their views. On Tuesday, they showed that the offer
extends to Islamists who spend the day denouncing America from the street
corners.<br>
<br>
U.S. envoy Richard C. Holbrooke met with Liaqat Baloch, a leader of Pakistan's
Jamaat-i-Islami party. About an hour later, as the bearded scholar prepared to
depart for an anti-American rally across town, the veteran diplomat said that
despite their disagreements, the meeting had begun "a very useful
dialogue."<br>
<br>
Pakistan is eager for U.S. aid, but many people are wary of U.S. intentions.
Jamaat-i-Islami has limited leverage in the government, but it is one of the
most influential Pakistani Islamist parties, and its anti-American views are
widely shared, U.S. officials say.<br>
<br>
One of Holbrooke's aides described the conversation as a major outreach effort
for the United States, roughly equivalent to talking to the Muslim Brotherhood,
an Egyptian Islamist party that Washington shuns.<br>
[...]<br>
Baloch pressed Holbrooke on one of the most passionate issues of the moment,
suspicions that a planned expansion of the U.S. Embassy is aimed at turning the
compound into a military base. Baloch has charged that the United States has a
secret plan to build a military "cantonment" as a prelude to trying
to seize Pakistan's nuclear arsenal.<br>
<br>
Suspicions about such a base have generated dozens of news stories recently,
despite diplomats' insistence that they are adding 16 acres only to accommodate
staff members needed to help implement the U.S. aid program, which is to grow
fourfold in the next 18 months. A Pakistani journalist challenged Holbrooke in
a group interview Monday to explain why the United States wanted to build
"a fortress in the middle of the capital."<br>
<br>
Holbrooke invited Baloch to come to the embassy to examine the blueprints.
"We have no secrets on this," he said.<br>
<br>
Baloch told Holbrooke that he welcomed Obama's declarations that he wants a
better relationship with the Muslim world. But he insisted that, with American
drone strikes in Pakistan and troops in Afghanistan, "there still is no
change in the practice."<br>
<br>
Holbrooke contended that the new administration had changed policy from the
Bush days in "dozens" of respects. He said the administration had
halted the effort to eradicate Afghan poppy crops, tightened rules on Afghan
military strikes to avoid civilian casualties, and was increasing economic aid
to Pakistan. But Holbrooke insisted that he wouldn't support a withdrawal from
Afghanistan, as Baloch wanted, until the country was no longer at risk of
descending into turmoil.<br>
[...]<br>
<br>
4) Damascus Agrees To Help Monitor Iraqi Border<br>
Syria Plans to Join Baghdad and the U.S. In Bid to Boost Security in the Region<br>
Jay Solomon and Julien Barnes-Dacey, Wall Street Journal, August 19, 2009<br>
<a
href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=SdD6qvm4IlBY2761%2BUvINRVa3HopAitE"
target="_blank">http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125063522892541469.html</a><br>
<br>
The Obama administration and Damascus tentatively agreed to establish a
tripartite committee, with Baghdad, to better monitor the Syrian-Iraqi border
as the Pentagon draws down American troops from Iraq in coming months, said
senior U.S. officials.<br>
<br>
The proposed three-way border-control assessments could boost Iraqi security
and patch one of the region's most volatile fault lines. The initiative was
made by a team of U.S. Central Command officers and their Syrian counterparts
last week in Damascus.<br>
<br>
The pact awaits the green light from Baghdad, which expressed frustration at
being excluded from the U.S.-Syrian talks, saying they violated Iraqi
sovereignty on security matters.<br>
<br>
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki met Syrian President Bashar Assad in
Damascus on Tuesday. A statement issued late in the day by the Iraqi prime
minister's office in Baghdad said only that the two sides "discussed the
expansion of the Iraqi and Syrian cooperation" in border control.
"Both governments are working seriously and practically to deal with all
the issues," added Alaa al-Jawadi, the Iraqi ambassador in Damascus.
"The Syrians have been positive with us."<br>
[...]<br>
The Pentagon regularly accused Syria of facilitating the flow of foreign
fighters and al Qaeda militants into Iraq since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein
in 2003.<br>
<br>
In June, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. Ray Odierno, said there had been
a significant decrease in the number of foreign fighters entering Iraq from
Syria. But U.S. officials also say there are issues to resolve. "We're
still a little bit concerned with Syria's role in this," Gen. Odierno told
reporters in Baghdad on Monday. "I think our bilateral discussions with
them are important."<br>
<br>
Syria says it has detained more than 1,700 militants, blocked potential
combatants from passing through the country en route to Iraq and imposed
stricter border policing. Syria also appears to have cracked down on former
members of Saddam Hussein's Baathist regime who fled to Damascus after the
Iraqi invasion. "The Baathists have been coming under a lot of pressure in
the last few months," said one senior Western diplomat. "Some have
been kicked out, some have been told to shut up."<br>
<br>
Syria's moves seem to be a response to President Barack Obama's increasingly
active outreach efforts. The administration has announced the return of a U.S
ambassador to Damascus and recently eased U.S. sanctions in an apparent bid to
draw Syria away from its alliance with Iran.<br>
[...]<br>
<br>
5) Mexico Drug Fight Fuels Complaints<br>
Ginger Thompson and Marc Lacey, New York Times, August 19, 2009<br>
<a
href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=X6DZHD1qWra7LVC%2FXq1hRgRBNaKDBnzN"
target="_blank">http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/19/world/americas/19mexico.html</a><br>
<br>
Washington - Mexico's fight against drug traffickers generated a sixfold
increase in human rights complaints against the Mexican military between 2006
and 2008, and it is unclear that any of those complaints resulted in
prosecutions, according to a State Department report on the effort.<br>
<br>
The 17-page report was delivered to Congress last week as part of a joint
counternarcotics program known as the Merida Initiative. The $1.4 billion
initiative, passed by Congress last year, provides equipment and training to
Mexican security forces. But it also calls for 15 percent of the money to be
withheld until the State Department verifies that the government is meeting
four human rights requirements, including the prosecution of police officers
and soldiers responsible for abuses.<br>
<br>
While the State Department cited several examples of progress, it was hardly a
glowing endorsement. And a key Democratic senator said the report failed to
adequately address the concerns about impunity within the Mexican military that
led him to threaten to hold up millions of dollars in United States assistance.<br>
<br>
"It is well known that the military justice system is manifestly
ineffective," said a statement issued Tuesday by Senator Patrick J. Leahy
of Vermont, chairman of the Senate appropriations subcommittee on foreign operations,
which must approve disbursement of the Merida assistance. "And it is
apparent that neither the Mexican government nor the State Department has
treated human rights abuses by the military, which is engaging in an internal
police function it is ill suited for, as a priority."<br>
[...]<br>
But as the troops' presence on the streets has increased, the State Department
reported, so have the number of complaints against them. Between 2006 and 2008,
they rose to 1,230, from 182, the report said. In all, Mexico's National Human
Rights Commission has received some 2,050 complaints against soldiers since Mr.
Calderón took office at the end of 2006.<br>
<br>
Based on those complaints, the human rights commission - which is financed by
the Mexican government - issued 26 recommendations for follow-up to the Defense
Ministry. The ministry agreed to consider 25 of them. And since soldiers
accused of abuses are generally prosecuted in closed military tribunals, it was
impossible to tell whether any complaints had resulted in punishments.<br>
<br>
"The information received from the Mexican government regarding these
cases," the report said, "and the opaqueness of the military court
system makes it difficult to analyze the nature and the type of complaints
filed, the status of the cases against members of the military alleged to have
violated human rights, or the results of the military prosecution."<br>
The State Department report says the head of a newly established military human
rights directorate had announced that military courts had convicted 12 soldiers
since 2006 and were investigating an additional 52 officers in connection with
offenses including homicide, torture, kidnapping and extortion.<br>
<br>
However, the State Department acknowledged that little was known about these
cases.<br>
[...]<br>
Human Rights Watch, which has been documenting abuses in Mexico, responded
hours later with two cases, both from Mr. Calderón's home state of Michoacán,
in which soldiers accused of torture two years ago have not been prosecuted.<br>
<br>
In an interview on Tuesday, Madeleine Penman, a spokeswoman for the Miguel
Augustín Pro Juárez Human Rights Center, called on the United States to
withhold the funds. "There is very little evidence of action on human
rights by the Mexican government," she said. "We do not think that
simply backing up Felipe Calderón's fight against organized crime helps at all
with rule of law in Mexico."<br>
<br>
6) US complains to Israel on Palestinian-American entry rules<br>
AFP, August 19, 2009<br>
<a
href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=IF4ZH%2FHbRpqYK1pQJlge4RVa3HopAitE"
target="_blank">http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090819/pl_afp/mideastisraelpalestinianusimmigrationdiplomacy_20090819201903</a><br>
<br>
The United States said Wednesday it had complained to Israel about restrictions
on the travel of US citizens of Palestinian origin, calling the measures
"unacceptable." The State Department said that Israel has been
issuing entry stamps for some travelers, mostly those of Arab ancestry, stating
that they are only allowed in the Palestinian Authority and cannot transit
through Israel. <br>
<br>
"We have made it quite known to the Israeli government ... that we expect
all American citizens to be treated the same regardless of their national
origin," State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said. "These kinds of
restrictions we consider unacceptable," Kelly told reporters. "We
will continue to protest."<br>
<br>
The State Department, in a recent travel advisory, warned that Israeli
immigration authorities may write a Palestinian Authority identification number
in a passport, regardless of whether the traveler has US citizenship or even
held Palestinian documentation previously.<br>
<br>
Such travelers are then required to carry Palestinian travel documents and may
be refused use of Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv, the country's main international
gateway.<br>
Instead, the travelers must transit through the Allenby Bridge connecting the
West Bank and Jordan. Due to Israeli checkpoints, this means they effectively
cannot go to Jerusalem or the Gaza Strip.<br>
<br>
Israeli authorities recently started to stamp in visitors' passports whether
they are heading to Israel or the Palestinian territories, potentially
preventing them from travelling to both.<br>
Israel's tourism ministry on Monday denounced the restrictions introduced by
the interior ministry, warning they would damage Israel's reputation and impede
some of the millions of pilgrims who flock each year to religious sites across
the region. In some cases, Israeli immigration has given such "Palestinian
Authority only" stamps even to travelers with no apparent Palestinian
origin, according to the State Department.<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'><br>
<a name="12334ff62dd1ba89_August1909w2"></a>Israel/Palestine</span></b> <br>
7) Settlement Building Is in 'Waiting Period,' Israel's Housing Minister Says<br>
Isabel Kershner, New York Times, August 19, 2009<br>
<a
href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=dpxOe1haSwin%2FhBIGBAsmRVa3HopAitE"
target="_blank">http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/19/world/middleeast/19mideast.html</a><br>
<br>
Jerusalem - Israel's housing minister said Tuesday that his government had not
given final approval for any new housing projects in the West Bank since it
took office in late March, in a sign that the Israelis may be trying to lower
tensions with the United States over the settlements issue.<br>
<br>
But the minister, Ariel Atias, and other officials emphasized that the hiatus in
issuing government invitations for bids for new housing projects did not
constitute a formal settlement freeze.<br>
[...]<br>
In an interview with Israel Radio, Mr. Atias described this as a "waiting
period," but said "there is no freeze." The prime minister was
"acting wisely," Mr. Atias said, by "not trying to be a hero
toward the Americans and clash with them."<br>
[...]<br>
Peace Now, an Israeli leftist advocacy group that opposes Jewish settlement in
territory the Palestinians want for a state, said Tuesday that more than 1,000
Israeli housing units are currently under construction in the West Bank and
East Jerusalem. The group noted that Israel has not issued invitations for new
bids since November 2008, but that government-sponsored construction accounts
for only about 40 percent of building in the settlements while private building
initiated by settler groups continues.<br>
[...]<br>
<br>
8) Israel Declares Shooting Of American An "Act Of War" To Avoid
Compensation<br>
Palestine Media Center, 19/08/2009<br>
<a
href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=ERhuCGsOeSPzPyYFCF1sDxVa3HopAitE"
target="_blank">http://www.palestine-pmc.com/details.asp?cat=1&id=2844</a><br>
<br>
Israel has declared the shooting of unarmed American demonstrator Tristan
Anderson in the West Bank to be an "act of war" in a bid to avoid
compensating his family. The Israeli Army Ministry sent a letter containing
this declaration to the Anderson family's lawyers, according to attorney Leah
Tsemel who is perusing a civil suit against the Israeli government.<br>
<br>
Anderson was critically injured on 13 March 2009 when Israeli soldiers shot him
in the forehead with a high velocity tear gas canister during a demonstration
against the separation wall in the West Bank village of Ni'lin. He remains
unconscious in Tel Aviv's Tel Hashomer Hospital, where he recently underwent
another surgery to reattach part of his skull that was removed during
life-saving surgery five months ago. Prospects for his recovery remain unclear.<br>
<br>
Tsemel, the civil suit attorney told Ma'an that the "act of war"
designation automatically releases the government from paying compensation
under a recently-amended tort law. Israel makes this designation "all the
time," in tort cases involving Palestinian victims, she said. She also
said the Andersons' lawyers would "exhaust all possibilities in Israeli
courts," and in international courts if necessary, to hold the government
accountable. A court date has not yet been set.<br>
<br>
Tsemel also reiterated that overwhelming evidence shows that Anderson was not a
combatant and presented no threat to the Israeli soldiers. In an eventual court
proceeding, she said, Anderson's lawyers would present eyewitnesses, videotape,
a medical report, and even the Israeli soldier's own reports to prove this.<br>
<br>
"If a process by which unarmed civilian demonstration is classified by
Israel as an 'act of war,' then clearly Israel admits that it is at war with
civilians," said Attorney Michael Sfard, who is handling the criminal side
of the Anderson case, in a statement circulated by the International Solidarity
Movement (ISM).<br>
<br>
Anderson was shot at a distance of 60 meters while standing with a group of
Palestinians and international activists, hours after the demonstration had
been dispersed from the construction site of the Wall.<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'><br>
<a name="12334ff62dd1ba89_August1909w3"></a>Cuba</span></b> <br>
9) US church leaders urge Obama to end Cuba embargo<br>
James Anderson, Associated Press, Tuesday, August 18, 2009 4:54 PM <br>
<a
href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=UsSFNj200g1jBdYUCSNwkhVa3HopAitE"
target="_blank">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/18/AR2009081802682.html</a><br>
<br>
Havana - A delegation of U.S. Roman Catholic Church leaders urged Barack
Obama's administration Tuesday to seize what they called a rare political
opportunity to lift the 47-year-old economic embargo against Cuba's communist
government.<br>
<br>
Bishop Thomas Wenski of Orlando, Florida, said the U.S. church welcomed a
recent move by Washington to relax travel restrictions on Cuban Americans with
family in Cuba as well on the remittances they can send to those families. But
he said there is much more to be done. Wenski said at a news conference that
the U.S. church hopes "both sides listen to their better angels" and
move to normalize ties.<br>
<br>
The U.S. church long has urged an end to the embargo, imposed by Washington in
1962 to weaken Cuba's communist government. Opponents argue that easing or
lifting the sanctions will only sustain a government that doesn't tolerate
dissent.<br>
<br>
Cardinal Sean O'Malley of Boston said Obama's election presents a rare
opportunity to bridge an "immense psychological distance" that has
marred relations and end an economic policy the church says punishes Cuban
citizens. "There were other opportunities that were lost," Wenski
said. "And it's important we do not lose the opportunity this time."<br>
[...]<br>
Wenski said the delegation came away from the Interests Section meeting with
the impression that U.S. policy toward Cuba is under review and that
"their approach seems to be piece by piece." He urged a quicker pace
after "50 years of lack of confidence on both sides."<br>
<br>
"That's a lot of history to overcome," Wenski added. "We would
hope that both sides listen to their better angels."<br>
[...]<br>
Cuba insists that any dialogue have no preconditions - but it also has pushed
for the release of the "Cuban Five," men convicted of being
unregistered foreign agents by a Miami court in 2001. Three also were convicted
of conspiracy to obtain military secrets from the U.S. Southern Command. Cuba
says that the men were trying to avoid terrorist attacks on the island and that
anti-Castro sentiment in South Florida kept them from getting a fair trial.<br>
<br>
Wenski said Tuesday that the Cuban church has enjoyed more freedom since a 1998
visit by Pope John Paul II and that the country, which is suffering a severe
economic crisis, "has reasons for hope. I believe this visit is a reason
for that kind of hope."<br>
<br>
<a name="12334ff62dd1ba89_August1909w4"></a><b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Peru</span></b>
<br>
10) Peru Will Be No. 1 Coca Producer by 2011, Experts Say<br>
EFE, August 17, 2009<br>
<a
href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=yqtVbnkmb4brfymTKSNjHRVa3HopAitE"
target="_blank">http://laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=341600&CategoryId=14095</a><br>
<br>
Lima - Peru could displace Colombia in 2011 as the world's biggest producer of
coca, the raw material of cocaine, according to experts quoted Monday by La Republica
newspaper.<br>
<br>
In "2011 or 2012 Peru very probably should come to be the No. 1 producer
of cocaine in the world, as occurred in the 1980s," analyst Jaime Garcia
Diaz told the paper.<br>
<br>
In that decade, the amount of territory in Peru on which coca leaf was being
grown was about 120,000 hectares (300,000 acres). In 2005, about 48,200
hectares were used to grow coca and in 2008 56,100 hectares, and at present the
country is the world's second largest producer of coca, according to the United
Nations.<br>
<br>
If the rising trend of the past few years is maintained, with coca production
increasing by about 4 or 5 percent annually, coca leaf cropland in Peru will
total 75,000 hectares in 2011, despite the government's efforts to eradicate
about 10,000 hectares of the illegal crop each year.<br>
<br>
In contrast, in Colombia, the land area on which coca leaf was being grown, by
2008, had fallen by 18 percent to about 80,953 hectares, according to U.N.
figures cited by La Republica.<br>
<br>
Garcia Diaz and drug trafficking expert Jaime Antezana, both of whom are with
ConsultAndes, agree that the aggressive campaign to eradicate coca plots being
pursued in Colombia could cause drug traffickers to shift their production to
Peru.<br>
[...]<br>
Peru, like neighboring Bolivia, allows cultivation of coca in small quantities
for use in teas, folk remedies and Andean religious rites. <br>
[...]<br>
<br>
-<br>
Robert Naiman <br>
Just Foreign Policy<br>
<a
href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=mVnKLo7PLn9lLVcKOzZZsBVa3HopAitE"
target="_blank">www.justforeignpolicy.org</a><br>
<br>
Just Foreign Policy is a membership organization devoted to reforming US
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