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Official: US Revokes Visas of Honduran President, 15 Others
Ramping up pressure on Honduras' interim government, the United States has revoked the visa of the beleaguered country's leader, a senior Honduran official told CNN en Espanol on Saturday.
Roberto Micheletti and his supporters say Honduras underwent a constitutional transfer of power, not a coup. (AFP/Getty) Roberto Micheletti and his supporters say Honduras underwent a constitutional transfer of power, not a coup.
De facto President Roberto Micheletti and 14 supreme court judges had their visas revoked, said Honduran Foreign Minister Carlos Lopez. Lopez said he, too, lost his visa privileges.
The U.S. State Department recently announced that it would pull the visas of members of Honduras' de facto regime.
In recent weeks, the United States has stepped up its call for the current Honduran government to restore ousted President Jose Manuel Zelaya to power. Zelaya was seized by the Honduran military in his pajamas and sent into exile on June 28.
On Wednesday, the board of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, a U.S. government agency, voted to cut $11 million in aid to the government in Honduras, senior State Department officials told CNN. Prior to the vote, the board had only suspended the aid, the State Department said.
The Millennium Challenge Account is a program started under the Bush administration to reward good governance.
The agency's cuts followed an announcement last week by the United States that it was terminating all nonhumanitarian aid to Honduras to pressure the interim government to end the political turmoil and accept the terms of an agreement known as the San Jose Accord. The accord calls for Zelaya's return to power.
The political crisis stemmed from Zelaya's plan to hold a referendum that could have changed the constitution and allowed longer term limits. The country's congress had outlawed the vote and the supreme court had ruled it illegal.
Micheletti and his supporters say that Zelaya's removal was a constitutional transfer of power and not a coup. The United Nations has condemned Zelaya's ouster and does not recognize Michiletti's government.
While the United States has called Zelaya's ouster a coup, it has not formally designated it a "military coup," which, under U.S. law, would have triggered a cutoff of all non-humanitarian aid regardless. Senior State Department officials said the Obama administration was reluctant to make the formal designation in order to preserve its flexibility for a diplomatic solution.
A presidential campaign in Honduras kicked off last week. However, the United States said it would not support the outcome of the elections unless Zelaya was restored to power.
24 Comments so far
Show Allthey probably didn't want to go there anyway...........
"Official: US Revokes Visas of Honduran President, 15 Others"
This should be, Official: US Revokes Visas of Honduran coup leader, 15 Others.
Micheletti is not the president.
no, look beyond the obvious and you will find us involement in the coup itself--something known as the SCHOOL OF THE AMERICAS--a triaining ground for us imperialism.
yohocoma:
Or, you might have asked this question: "This is one of the few times the US is supporting a democratically elected leader whose political interests and philosophy is not controlled by the IMF, the World Bank or the CIA."
The only people there that has plenty to eat and a nice home are the politicans that take the payoff money from the U.S. You know like the friendship we pay for from tax money.
The US cuts 11 million in aid and the IMF gives Hondurus 175 million. scroll down on this link:
http://www.counterpunch.org/weisbrot09072009.html
Speedtheplow - thanks for the info and the link. That $175 million loan sure is a punishing penalty - isn't that kinda of like the way banksters were punished for their speculation with a taxpayer bailout?
I am proud of the countries of South America who have put pressure on the US to reject this coup. I wonder why the pressure of public relations works in South America and not in the Middle East. I wonder what is going on behind the scenes. Are they afraid of a spreading labor resistance to Chiquita (fka United Fruit)and other US corporations... or what?
Nonetheless, this is a bit of sunshine in a bleak political picture.
By the way, the article uses the term "interim president" for the beneficiary of the coup. What is the correct title? It used to be "Generalissimo" because the military connection was not disguised.
Joe
The term "pretender" is appropriate for Michelleti.
Wait, so under US law, a "military coup" means a cut off of all non-humanitarian aid? So, then, we should stop sending any aid to Iraq? That was a military coup. I'm confused.
That's not a coup; that's an invasion.
This what the US Government should have done as I said in an article at http://links.org.au/node/1192#comment-29694. This is an Australian based news organization.
AD
Almost looks like Cheney doesn't he?
Poet
speedtheplow September 13th, 2009 12:54 pm wrote
"The US cuts 11 million in aid and the IMF gives Hondurus 175 million. scroll down on this link:
http://www.counterpunch.org/weisbrot09072009.html"
I was just thinking about that also. Like the WTO, World bank, IMF and most so called “international lending” institutions, the G3/G5 countries headed by the US is who runs these predatory cartels behind the curtains. Even Amnesty International, IRC, Human Right watch are all in on the game.
For related literature check out “ The Cultural Cold War, the CIA and the world of arts and letters” by Frances Stonor Saunders
In CIA language it is called a "limited hangout" see Wikipedia for definition.
With these cheap but effective techniques they fool all the people all the time. The few who figure it out in functional ways, are tail end "bell curvers" and not statistically significant. For example a good percentage of Americans still believe WMD were found in Iraq and that Saddam was directly responsible for 911 etc etc etc
Yes all the people can be fooled all the time if you can somehow just keep changing the goalpost.
Exactly right. But it is slowing down because of our gargantuan deficits and the BRIC countries' growing wealth. It will soon reverse direction. Our propaganda people will soon look as ridiculous and unbelievable as Baghdad Bob when the US Army was pouring in.
To that last statement, I sure hope so, AGG. Critical thinking seems to be at a premium for those who turn to anchors and media spokespeople for the Gospel according to Fox, Limbaugh, "Meet the Press," et al. And that's a very healthy percentage of U.S. citizens.
Lots of words. So little substantive analysis because so much is based on "truth" by omission.
But let's hope you are right.
peace/cm
Talk about "unbelievable - "Senior State Department officials said the Obama administration was reluctant to make the formal designation in order to preserve its flexibility for a diplomatic solution." "Flexibility for a diplomatic solution" - how transparent can the State Department be? Why would our government want to establish diplomatic relations with illegitimate coup leaders unless it wanted to give the coup some legitimacy? I think that U.S. intelligence agencies underestimated President Zelaya's support in Honduras, and failed to anticipate the coordinated reaction of other South American countries to our interference in a neighbor's affairs. The Obama Administration only withdrew some aid after it became apparent that our usual propaganda methods weren't even selling well here in the U.S. where President Obama is still hoping to sell us on expanding the Afghanistan conflict, and he is losing progressives over the absence of any real health care reform.
What a farce. Elections are scheduled for Novemeber. I guess Hillary will return the visas when they get "legally" elected with the help of our Chiquita/Coca Cola/CIA "election supervisors".
Can you read?
"the United States said it would not support the outcome of the elections unless Zelaya was restored to power."
Either one of two things will happen:
1.) The US government will support whomever won the election by claiming that "The elections were free and fair".
-or-
2.) The US government will throw it's hands up in the air and say "Zeleya's term is over and it's time to move on".
Either way the US will eventually recognize the winner of the Honduran election.