Subscribe to Common Dreams News Updates
Most Popular This Week
Popular content
Today's Top News
Deal Could Lead to Reinstatement of Ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya
Agreement to create power-sharing government paves way for return of leader ousted in military coup
The interim government of Honduras yesterday appeared to have succumbed to international pressure as it agreed a deal that could pave the way for the return of the country's deposed president, Manuel Zelaya.
Manuel Zelaya: Agreement could lead to his reinstatement as Honduran president. Photograph: Bebeto Matthews/AP Victor Rico, the secretary of
political affairs at the Organisation of American States, said an
agreement had been reached to leave an opening for the reinstatement of
Zelaya – ousted in a military coup in June – by creating a
power-sharing government.
He did not reveal the text of the agreement, but called it "a beneficial accord for Honduras and Honduran democracy".
Zelaya yesterday said he was "optimistic I will be restored to the presidency".
The interim president, Roberto Micheletti, said the accord would leave Zelaya's fate in the hands of the supreme court and congress.
Zelaya's envoys had accused Micheletti of dragging out talks to run down the clock to 29 November, when elections to choose a new president are due to take place.
Soldiers arrested the leftwing leader, who was in his pyjamas, in June, taking him to Costa Rica on a plane. The president had angered congress, the supreme court and his own party by allying with the Venezuelan leader, Hugo Chávez.
He returned to Honduras last month and has tried to muster support for his reinstatement from a refuge at the Brazilian embassy, which is surrounded by troops.
Zelaya has been backed almost unanimously by the international community, which has also criticised the de facto Honduran authorities for crackdowns on protesters and the media.
This week's breakthrough followed renewed pressure from senior US officials, who travelled to Honduras in an attempt to end the crisis.
"This is a great moment for Honduras, and its people should be proud that Hondurans have achieved this accord," Tom Shannon, the US assistant secretary of state for western hemisphere affairs, said.
Micheletti called the pact a "significant concession" on his part and said one of its provisions required foreign powers to drop sanctions, reverse aid cutoffs imposed after the coup, and send observers to the elections.
- Posted in
10 Comments so far
Show AllLawmakers Want Venezuela Named a State Sponsor of Terrorism
October 24, 2009 "The Hill" -- A bipartisan pair of lawmakers introduced a resolution on Wednesday to classify Venezuela as a state sponsor of terrorism.
Rep. Ron Klein (D-Fla.), a member of the Foreign Affairs committee, and Rep. Connie Mack (R-Fla.), the ranking member of the Western Hemisphere subcommittee, joined together to float a bill calling on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to add Venezuela to the list of states which sponsor terrorism.
...snip...
"The evidence linking Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez to the FARC and Hezbollah – two of the most dangerous terrorist organizations, responsible for many bombings, kidnappings, killings and drug trafficking – is overwhelming," Mack said in a statement announcing the resolution.
"Naming Venezuela a state sponsor of terrorism will strengthen the stability of the region," the Florida Republican, who has long been a vocal critic of Chavez, added. "The Administration must not turn a blind eye to Chavez’s dangerous aggression and must add Venezuela to the state sponsors of terrorism list without delay.”
Unedited at:
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article23839.htm#at
Maybe Cygnus cited this without implying approval. It is itself a nasty example of American extremism, and might be cited as such.
Otherwise, a dose of Flagyl to us all.
Relax my brother.
I posted this as information for my friends here who might have missed it.
I recognize this effort as a baseless attack to discredit and harm President Chavez.
I fully support the right of the Venezuelan people and President Chavez to determine the course of their country without unwanted interference.
"The interim president, Roberto Micheletti, said the accord would leave Zelaya's fate in the hands of the supreme court and congress."
wasn't it the Honduran supreme court and congress that got rid of him in the first place.......
because he dared to want to raise the minimum wage???
The interim president, Roberto Micheletti, said the accord would leave Zelaya's fate in the hands of the supreme court and congress.
wasn't it the Honduran supreme court and congress that got rid of him in the first place.......
because he dared to want to raise the minimum wage???
Micheletti called the pact a "significant concession" on his part and said one of its provisions required foreign powers to drop sanctions, reverse aid cutoffs imposed after the coup, and send observers to the elections.
-------------
I'm sure that once the money resumes flowing into Honduras the elite will promptly and humbly give up the reins of power.
NOT.
How is it that even the Guardian uses a neutral term like "interim president" (here in the Imperial Homeland, it's "the de facto government") to refer to someone who is part of a coup d'etat?
NarcoNews is reporting that the Supreme Court approval condition isn't really a condition--its contrived, http://narcosphere.narconews.com/thefield/3567/reports-deal-honduras-are-premature
Trouble is still on the horizon for Honduras as an election in November will solve nothing unless someone like Zelaya is elected, which at this moment is very unlikely. As with Bolivia, the people will have to maintain a constant state of agitation until they overthrow the elites and reinvent their constitution and political institutions. So, it's People Power vs. US Dollars.