Honduras Rejects Appeal to Restore Leader

Supreme Court, Other Political Figures Shut Down Request from Organization of American States

(AP)  Honduras rebuffed a personal appeal from the Americas' top international diplomat Friday, refusing to restore President Manuel Zelaya and setting the stage for a dramatic showdown when the ousted leader returns to reclaim power this weekend.

Jose Miguel Insulza, who heads the Organization of American States, said after meeting with Honduras' Supreme Court, Attorney General and other political figures that he had found no willingness to return Zelaya to office ahead of a Saturday morning deadline. Zelaya was toppled in a military-backed coup on Sunday and flown out of the country.

"We wanted to ask that this situation be reversed," Insulza told a news conference in the Honduran capital, where he had arrived Friday on a personal mission to demand Zelaya's reinstatment. "Unfortunately, one must say that there appears to be no willingness to do this."

The OAS will meet on Saturday to decide whether to expel Honduras from the regional organization, he said, a move that could lead to further sanctions against one of the Americas' poorest countries. Suspension by the OAS could also encourage other organizations and countries to suspend aid and loans to Honduras.

Hours earlier, Honduras' Supreme Court, which had authorized Sunday's coup, said it wouldn't agree to reinstate the toppled leftist leader.

"Insulza asked Honduras to reinstate Zelaya, but the president of the court categorically answered that there is an arrest warrant for him," said court spokesman Danilo Izaguirre, referring to Supreme Court President Jorge Rivera. "Now the OAS has to decide what it will do."

Insulza said late Friday that Honduran officials had given him documents showing that charges are pending or have been brought against Zelaya, charges that purportedly justify the coup.

Insulza had conceded before traveling to Honduras that his mission was unlikely to succeed, saying: "It will be very hard to turn things around in a couple of days."

During the trip, the diplomat also met with the two main candidates in Honduras' Nov. 29 elections, as well with the leftist Popular Block, an umbrella group of farm, labor and student groups that largely supports Zelaya.

But he said he would not see Roberto Micheletti, whom Congress named president after Zelaya's ouster, in order to avoid legitimizing the government.

Micheletti's foreign minister, Enrique Ortez, said that Insulza "can negotiate all he wants, except for Zelaya's situation."

"That is not negotiable because he cannot return to Honduras, and if he does he will be arrested and tried," Ortez said.

Zelaya, who was traveling in Central America, planned to return to Honduras on Sunday, according to Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega. Zelaya has said he would be traveling with Insulza and the presidents of Argentina and Ecuador.

Contrary to assertions by the Micheletti government, Interpol on Friday released a statement saying it had not received any request to issue an arrest warrant for Zelaya.

Micheletti led a raucous chant of "Democracy!" before a giant crowd waving blue-and-white Honduran flags in front of the palace that Micheletti has occupied since Zelaya was seized by soldiers and flown into exile. He pledged to stand firm in the face of the international pressure.

"I am the president of all Hondurans," he proclaimed.

A rival rally by thousands of Zelaya backers marched to the offices of the OAS. Marchers carried a banner with a picture of Zelaya and the words: "Mel our friend, the people are with you!"

Despite feared violence, the two groups did not clash. Police helicopters circled overhead and dozens of soldiers and police guarded the palace.

Micheletti's supporters say the army was justified in ousting Zelaya - on orders of Congress and the Supreme Court - because he had called a referendum which they claim he intended to use to extend his rule. Zelaya denies that and has said he will no longer press for constitutional changes.

Nations around the world have promised to shun Micheletti, who was sworn in after the coup, and the nation already is suffering economic reprisals.

Neighboring countries have imposed trade blockades, major lenders have cut aid, the Obama administration has halted joint military operations and all European Union ambassadors have abandoned the Honduran capital.

On Friday, the U.S. Embassy in Honduras issued a statement expressing "deep concern over restrictions imposed on certain fundamental rights" by Micheletti's government, including a curfew in force since Sunday, and "reports of intimidation and censorship against certain individuals and media outlets."

Micheletti's government is so eager to find a friend that it announced it had been recognized by Israel and Italy - surprising the governments of those countries. Italy withdrew its ambassador to protest the coup, and Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said: "All rumors about Israeli recognition of the new president are wholly unfounded."

Micheletti asked Nobel Peace laureate Rigoberta Menchu to help mediate the conflict, and she arrived in Tegucigalpa on Friday.

"I come to try to talk with anyone who wants to listen to search for peace for this country," she said.

AOusted Honduran Finance Minister Rebeca Santos on Friday told international finance ministers in Chile that the coup has already hurt the economy. The World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank have suspended between $300 million and $450 million in financing.

[tautomer]

Obama wants the Marxist back in power.

[pepperwood2]

While BO staggers around while N Korea & Iran are killing off their Political Opposition, Obama, Chavez, & the Liberal OAS have United to put a dagger in the back of Our Little, Weak, Neighbor Honduras.

BO, Our Brilliant SOS & OAS feel stronger & inspired aligning themselves up with Bully Hugo.

Mr Zelaya, a wealthy businessman, is a left-wing politician and supporter of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

His opponents, which includes the Supreme Court and a majority in Parliament, accuse him of seeking to prolong his rule.

He had wanted to hold a popular vote on convening a constitutional convention - a move that could have removed the current one-term limit for presidents. Its enough to make you puke.

[jschmidt27]

It was not a coup- it was constitutional move by the Supreme Court and their Congress. The media refuses to recognize that. Anyone in the WH read their Constitution.

[TryTakingMyMoney]

Putting himself in their shoes, our liberal socialist messiah supports the leadership in Iran for stomping out a revolution for freedom, and he now stands arm and arm with Chavez protesting a "legal" overthrow of the Honduras leftist thug president. He supports everything opposite of what America was founded on. AMERICA! WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO WAKE UP!!!!!!

[rocketjl]

Is everyone saying the US was wrong to get down on President Nixon??????

[summarex]

Scuse me.
If their supreme court "authorized" or more precisely, approved the actions, then it aint a coup. Stop peddling propaganda CBS!

[ubrew12]

When the Prez forwarded a referendum to overturn the constitution and allow him to run for reelection, that was bad enough. Nevertheless, even a referendum is in keeping with the philosophy of democracy (what the people want).

A coup? That's nothing less than Fascism, which is why I'm not surprised to find the neocons, rightwingers, and other Nazi's on this board supporting the Honduran military in their quest to impose 'good old fashioned values' on the people, by gunpoint if necessary. This has got to be every neocons dream. How dare the people vote on anything, much less a referendum to reelect a popular president!

[miamisunset]

Please stop calling the events in Honduras a military backed coup. Get the facts straight and tell your readers and listeners the truth.

[Ltpar]

Constitutional Rule of Law in Honduras Is Working
By Alberto Sandoval

A coup d'état is usually, an unpleasant usurping of a legitimate government. The erosion and dismissal of a constitutional government, however, is worse. This is exactly what ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya was attempting to do in conjunction with Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, Raul & Fidel Castro of Cuba and Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua.

Honduras is approximately the size of the state of Connecticut with a population of nearly 7 ½ million people. A constitutional republic with three branches of government - Executive, Legislative and a Supreme Court - the constitution limits the president to one four (4) year term in office. Honduras has had a stable constitutional government for nearly 30 years. Honduras has been a key ally in the region for the United States. Some have even referred to the country as an ?unsinkable aircraft carrier? for the U.S.

So, who is Manuel Zelaya and what transpired last week that lead to his ouster? Elected in 2005, Mr. Zelaya, a wealthy landowner, comes from the timber and cattle industries of Honduras. Active in the Liberal Party of Honduras since the 1980s, his alliance with the leftist Hugo Chavez drew sharp criticism from the more conservative opposition party. In 2007, his second year in office, Zelaya ordered the country?s radio and television stations to run government propaganda for two hours each day. Zelaya defended this move by stating, "We find ourselves obligated to make this decision to counteract the misinformation of the news media about our 17 months in office." Later that same year, Zelaya became the first sitting President of Honduras to visit the Communist state of Cuba in 46 years.

No one questions Zelaya?s desire to change the constitution. The only apparent change he sought , however, would allow him to have more time as the head of the government. As Mary Anastasia O?Grady points out in The Wall Street Journal (June 30, 2009), ?A constituent assembly can only be called through a national referendum approved by its Congress.? Zelaya ignored that bit of the law and imported ballots from Venezuela and his dear friend Hugo Chavez. It appears that Zelaya was a poor student of Chavez.

The Supreme Court of Honduras deemed Zelaya?s actions unconstitutional and the Congress and country?s Attorney General agreed. Zelaya?s hubris raised its dirty head once more when he ordered his military chief to immediately distribute the Venezuelan-produced ballots for the referendum. In a legitimate Honduran election, the military is tasked with the security and distribution of ballots and the military chief, citing the Supreme Court?s ruling that the referendum was unconstitutional, respectfully declined the order. General Romeo Vasquez Velasquez was immediately fired by Zelaya. Acting as the constitutional check and balance, the Supreme Court ruled that General Velasquez could not be terminated. Zelaya then took it upon himself, with the aid of leftist loyalists, to break into the military base where the ballots were housed in order to distribute them for Sunday?s unconstitutional referendum. That was the tipping point for the other two branches of government.

On Friday, June 26, 2009, a detention order, signed by a Supreme Court Judge, was issued for President Zelaya. The legal document accused him of treason and abuse of authority. Early Sunday morning, June 28, 2009, the military carried out the order swiftly and without casualties.

We now have President Obama and his Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, calling the legal actions of a foreign government ??not legal?? and to ??respect democratic norms (and) the rule of law?. How ironic that the President of the United States is siding with someone who was doing just the opposite! In protest, our Administration has ceased all joint military operations.

Manuel Zelaya has now come to the United States and spoken to the United Nations General Assembly pleading his case as the victim. Calling the actions of the Honduran government illegal he stated, ?I?m going to try to open a dialogue and put things in order.? Whose order, Mr. President? Your order? Hugo Chavez?s order? Or will it be the rule of law that keeps order in Honduras?

Currently in Honduras, there are large rallies for democracy and in support of the new interim President. People are back to work and the economy is running as smoothly as the impoverished nation can. Yet, led by the Obama Administration, nations around the world have turned their backs on Honduras. The World Bank has stopped funding and Hugo Chavez has threatened to invade Honduras with the Venezuelan military to re-install Zelaya as head of the government.


As our U.S. Constitution works, so does the Constitution of Honduras. We must not abandon our friends in Central America.

[Sloughfoot]

Way to go, someone with intelligence and learning does exist.