Honduras Leader's Homecoming Bid Blocked

Soldiers Stop Ousted President's Plane from Landing; At Least 1 Killed

(CBS/AP)  Ousted President Manuel Zelaya was kept from landing at the main Honduras airport Sunday because the runway was blocked by military vehicles and groups of soldiers, some of them clashing with a crowd of thousands outside.

His Venezuelan pilots circled around the airport and decided not to risk a crash.

Zelaya instead landed in Nicaragua on his way to El Salvador, and vowed to try again Monday or Tuesday in his high-stakes effort to return to power in a country where all branches of government have lined up against him.

"I am the commander of the armed forces, elected by the people, and I ask the armed forces to comply with the order to open the airport so that there is no problem in landing and embracing my people," Zelaya said from the plane. "Today I feel like I have sufficient spiritual strength, blessed with the blood of Christ, to be able to arrive there and raise the crucifix."

But interim President Roberto Micheletti insisted on keeping him out, and said he won't negotiate until "things return to normal."

"We will be here until the country calms down," Micheletti said. "We are the authentic representatives of the people."

Micheletti also accused Nicaragua of moving troops in an attempt at psychological intimidation, and warned them not to cross into Honduras, "because we're ready to defend our border." Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega called the allegation "totally false."

Violence broke out among the huge crowd surrounding the airport, with at least one man killed - shot in the head from inside the airport as people tried to break through a security fence, according to an Associated Press photographer at the scene. At least 30 people were treated for injuries, the Red Cross said, after security forces fired warning shots and tear gas.

When Zelaya's plane was turned away, his supporters began chanting "We want blue helmets!" - a reference to U.N. peacekeepers.

Karin Antunez, 27, was in tears.

"We're scared. We feel sad because these coup soldiers won't let Mel return, but we're not going to back down," she said. "We're the people and we're going to keep marching so that our president comes home."

Zelaya called on the United Nations, the OAS, the United States and European countries to "do something with this repressive regime."

"We should look for an immediate solution," Zelaya told Venezuela's Telesur network. He then met with Ortega before leaving for consultations in El Salvador with the presidents of Argentina, Paraguay and Ecuador and the secretary-general of the Organization of American States, Jose Miguel Insulza, who flew there from Washington.

After a day of drama, Zelaya says he will now look for other ways to return to Honduras, reports CBS News correspondent Kimberly Dozier. He told one TV network he may try to fly home again Monday or Tuesday; he's banking on the confrontation keeping the pressure on the new Honduran government.

Zelaya won wide international support after his military ouster, but the presidents decided it was too dangerous to fly on Zelaya's plane, which carried only his close advisers and staff, two journalists from the Venezuela-based network Telesur and U.N. General Assembly President Miguel D'Escoto Brockmann, a leftist Nicaraguan priest and former foreign minister.

Honduras' new government has vowed to arrest Zelaya for 18 alleged criminal acts including treason and failing to implement more than 80 laws approved by Congress since taking office in 2006. Zelaya also refused to comply with a Supreme Court ruling against his planned referendum on whether to hold an assembly to consider changing the constitution.

Critics feared Zelaya might try to extend his rule and cement presidential power in ways similar to what his ally Hugo Chavez has done in Venezuela.

But instead of prosecuting him or trying to defeat him at the ballot box, his political opponents sent masked soldiers to fly Zelaya out of the country at gunpoint, and Congress installed Micheletti in his place.

The military solution drew condemnation at the United Nations, and Honduras was suspended by the OAS. Many called it a huge step backward for democracy, and no nation has recognized the new government. President Barack Obama has united with Chavez and conservative Colombian President Alvaro Uribe in insisting on Zelaya's return.

Without OAS membership, the isolated interim government faces trade sanctions and the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in subsidized oil, aid and loans for the impoverished nation.

Zelaya, a wealthy rancher who has shifted to left during his presidency, has drawn most of his support from the working and middle classes, while his opponents are based in the ranks of the well-to-do.

Micheletti's vice foreign minister, Martha Lorena Alvarado, said the interim government sent the OAS a letter expressing "willingness to conduct conversations in good faith." In Washington, senior Obama administration officials took that as a positive sign.

Speaking on condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the State Department, the officials said the United States and other OAS member countries are coordinating contacts and outreach to facilitate a resolution, despite their insistence on having no formal relations with the interim government.

The immediate concern, however, was avoiding more bloodshed. Both critics and supporters of Zelaya have staged large demonstrations. The country's Roman Catholic archbishop and its human rights commissioner urged Zelaya to stay away to avoid provoking them.

Moments after Zelaya's plane was turned away, about a dozen trucks filled with police ordered everyone off the streets, imposing a sunrise-to-sunset curfew.

"This is a war," said Matias Sauceda, 65, a human rights activist. "Imagine - things are so bad, that the president is in the air and they don't let him land."

[abbe91]

On 26 May 1973, Chile's Supreme Court unanimously denounced the Allende régime's disruption of the legality of the nation in its failure to uphold judicial decisions, because of its continual refusal to permit police execution of judicial resolutions contradicting the Government's measures.
On 22 August 1973 the Christian Democrats and the National Party members of the Chamber of Deputies voted 81 to 47, the resolution titled Declaration of the Breakdown of Chile's Democracy that asked the military to put an immediate end to breach[es of] the Constitution . . . with the goal of redirecting government activity toward the path of Law and ensuring the Constitutional order of our Nation, and the essential underpinnings of democratic co-existence among Chileans.

Nixon did more than support the coup in Chile, ordering the CIA to depose President Allende ... as early as 1970.
See for example
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB8/nsaebb8i.htm
Of course we know what happened next. A perfect democracy under Pinochet. For those who disapprove of Zelaya, are you suggesting
that Obama should follow Nixon's example ?

[wdh3007]

Marxists stick together and sometinmes flock together who does Zelaya fly to first when he can't land another marxist dictator like Ortega or Chavez. Obama looks ignorgant and foolish when he supports criminals like these but what would you expect from our marxist fraud in chief.

[Atheism_Wins]

Obama is an elitist snob liberal. He thinks his mouth is all that matters.

Sorry, but no. It is laws and democracy that matter.

[rbstrcklnd]

Sorry brianwb-2009, but you are a fool.

[ffoulkes-2009]

You noticed?

[WayAround]

WayAround is repeating himself.

As I've been saying for a ***long*** time, Chavez, Ahmadinejad (the President and current troublemaker in Iran), and Sarkozy are the Interntional Mafia's favorite puppets on the world stage.

[WayAround]

Take the "Iran Protests" script, make a few changes, and...Voila!...we have the "Honduras Protests" script.

[abbe91]

I quite agree. Iranians protesting against Ahmadinejad and the
"Clerics constitution council" on one side. People in Honduras protesting against the "Supreme court" and Pinochetti on the other side.

[ffoulkes-2009]

So...what happens when Chavez and his goons start a military campaign to put this jerk back in office?

[vietnamwar]

This is an Opportunity for us to support Hondura and take out Commi Chavez that live next door to us, one of this day it will be a dangerous like CUBA.

[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.

[Atheism_Wins]

Obama is very liberal, and has no integrity.

The liberal media won't embarrass him.

Too bad! We have the internet and conservative media. And the power of the deceptive liberal media dwindles...

[Atheism_Wins]

by Reality_Chk July 5, 2009 2:10 PM PDT
Impeached ??? Does the Honduran Constitution even use the word Impeached anywhere in it ??? If so, please quote the Honduran constitution on that...
----------
According to Article 239: "No citizen who has already served as head of the Executive Branch can be President or Vice-President. Whoever violates this law or proposes its reform [emphasis added], as well as those that support such violation directly or indirectly, will immediately cease in their functions and will be unable to hold any public office for a period of 10 years."

Their Supreme Court ordered that he be removed from office. Their Congress put a successor in place in accordance with their Constitution. If that isn't an impeachment, I don't know what is.

[prometheus21]

Calling for a referendum to have the people vote on a non-binding constitutional assembly to consider changes to the Honduras constitution is not in ANY PROSECUTABLE WAY a proposal for reform to specifically change election terms. This proposal for reform when executed by a President would have to be in some recognizable context, as in "proposed legislation" or some document outside of willing the people to vote on a constitutional assembly to consider it. There has to be some execution and some support directly or indirectly of executing a direct proposal. The thought that you can accuse someone of doing something by asking for a referendum to vote (that's a popular vote OUTSIDE of the government) on the existence of a constutional assembly to further consider this is not a proposal of reform within any Constitutional limits. This would be like thought police outlawing free speech or the right to assemble.

The very ridiculous part is that he even used the language "non-binding" in proposing a referendum to consider a constitutional assembly to consider this. And of course he didn't even get that far. Having the Supreme Court make a decision on something that wasn't even assembled to decide doesn't even sound like due process, kidnapping and dragging a person out of office without convening a trial to prosecute definitely lacks due process, and is not like any impeachment hearing I can imagine.

The EXTREMELY ridiculous part, is that you would be attempting to outlaw ANY AND ALL REFERENDUMs by the people of Honduras -- the right to petition your government and assemble -- based on a presumption of what could possibly be the result of that referendum. You are also suggesting that there is NO WAY for the people of Honduras to change their Constitution accept through the legislative process -- no matter how corrupt and non-representative that may legally evolve. No healthy democracy would ever grant that much immunity to its government. Certainly not the U.S., until we let it happen.

[prometheus21]

What I still can't get over, are the outrageous hypocrisies exhibited by people here in the U.S. It's like they don't even acknowledge a living archive of offenses to the U.S. Constitution and American people committed by George W. Bush not too long ago. And none of them any where near to an appeal to the American people to vote for consensus on ANY OF IT. To listen to these people pander on these issues is like stomach churning to say the least.

[prometheus21]

Or what the ACTUAL articles of Impeachment for Bill Clinton were in the presidential office IMMEDIATELY preceding that of George W. Bush. To even begin to appreciate what a fascist appeal for an impeachment (that never happened) for a President who called for a non-binding referendum to NOT AMMEND or CHANGE the constituion of Honduras, but to create a constitutional assembly to adopt a new one. American first ammendment style.

Beyond reproach to say the least, what these people who have witnessed the ACTUAL IMPEACHMENT of Bill Clinton, followed IMMEDIATELY THEREAFTER by the completely immune -- not to the Constitution, but to legal due process to excerise this under law -- (TAKEN OFF THE TABLE by decree only during the last quarter of this monster's days in office) reign and plague of George W. Bush, and now to be able to support a military coup for a president who was not impeached, who broke no law through the desire for referendum, either directly or indirectly ... absolutely disgusting in every democratic and rule of law sense.

[Atheism_Wins]

Zelaya was impeached and wouldn't leave.

Obama is incompetent. Will he leave office when HE is voted out?

[Reality_Chk]

Impeached ??? Does the Honduran Constitution even use the word Impeached anywhere in it ??? If so, please quote the Honduran constitution on that...

[Reality_Chk]

The Honduran Supreme Court's order to arrest and try the left wing dictator should be executed if is dumb enough to return to Honduras.

By the time the criminal justice system get's around to his trial his Presidential term will be over and the critics who wanted him treated according to the letter of the constitution and laws in Honduras will have their wish.

Only difference, instead of sipping wine at the UN, the "left wing dictator want to be" will be rotting in a Prison in Honduras over the next six months.

But that is the letter of the law in Honduas, so let us all get on with enforcing it.

[Reality_Chk]

A claim made by brianbwb-2009 on July 5, 2009 8:28 AM PDT

"impeachment, arrest, trial, and sanction is the legal course in " Honduras.

Really, brianbwb-2009, please share with us your vast knowledge of the constitution of Honduras. Please provide the citation and the wording in that constitution which speaks about impeachment and the role the Supreme Court in Honduras plays in the removal of a President from office...

OH, you can not do that, can you???

That is because you make these lies up as you go along, right ???

[Reality_Chk]

Cuba is a one party dictatorship kept in power by the military and a secret police state which locks political opponents and newspaper reporters up for life.

The Organization of American States, with the blessing of Obama, restores them to full membership in the OAS.

A democratically elected President is removed from power by other Democratic institutions ( Congress and the Supreme Court ) with the blessing of the Presidents own party, by a 100 to single digit vote of congress, for violating the Democratic constitution of Honduras and attempting to change that Democratic Constitution by illegal, one party, means.

The OAS suspends Honduras with Obama?s Blessing.

Cuba with a communist, one party, openly anti-democratic government is welcomed back into the OAS just a couple of months before.

It Appears Obama favors one party dictatorships like Cuba, Iran and Venezuela over multi-party constitutional governments like Honduras.

Strange thing is, the U.S. main stream media is OK with Obama?s position on this, even though Venezuela and Iran are in the process of shutting down and taking over all media outlets that disagree with the government?s propaganda.

Strange country the US has become recently.

[prometheus21]

"A democratically elected President is removed from power by other Democratic institutions ( Congress and the Supreme Court ) with the blessing of the Presidents own party, by a 100 to single digit vote of congress, for violating the Democratic constitution of Honduras and attempting to change that Democratic Constitution by illegal, one party, means."

I have no idea what a 'change to the Honduras constitution by illegal one party' means, but "Zelaya, a wealthy rancher who has shifted to left during his presidency, has drawn most of his support from the working and middle classes, while his opponents are based in the ranks of the well-to-do."

Also, it is actually IMPOSSIBLE to change the Honduras constitution without a two thirds majority of the National Congress of Honduras voting for that ammendment. There is ACTUALLY NO MEANS WHATSOEVER for President Zelayas to ammend or change the Honduras constitution by himself. How can someone break a law if there is NO MEANS of breaking that law?

I think what might be going on in the minds of these FASCISTS who really don't understand democracies or the Honduras constitution AT ALL, is that they EQUATE any conspiratorial action to undermine what they feel should
not be changed through referendum or the will of the majority as breaking the law.

This is NOT UNCOMMON for fascists to do. However, it has nothing at all to do with Honduras law, the Honduras Constituion, the majority of Honduras people, democracy and the ILLEGAL act of a military coup.

And the sweet essence of it all, when you hear someone believing that it is the FORIEGN MEDIA that is actually the victims of a propaganda campaign in Venezuela and Iran. Some things in life are so pure, they must be inhaled to completely appreciate.

[romeva]

Israel and Taiwan have reognized the new government, not likr you said that nobody has recognized it.

[Reality_Chk]

Just curious. What sources are reporting that ???

[ayatoldya]

Hondurans were too fast on the trigger to oust President Manuel Zelaya. The country should have let him proceed to create the illegal referendum and then, after he obviously broke the laws he said he was going to break, he could face criminal charges and be expelled through correct governmental channels as opposed to being booted by military force.
This was the democratic judicial and legislative branches would have been allowed to exercise their powers, and their democracy would not appear to be suspended by an apparent military coup.

The installed president seems to be more of a dictator than a interim president by applying draconian measure to repress the Honduran populations freedoms.

[Reality_Chk]

Earth to "ayatoldya". The Hondurans did wait. They waited while he had his left wing dictator friend in Venezuela print up his illegal ballots. They waited while he fired the army generals who refused hold an election that the Supreme Court ruled said was explicitly prohibited by the Honduran constitution ( just like such an election would be illegal and prohibited by the U.S. constitution ). They waited while the President raised a mob of like minded people who also wanted to illegally change the Democratic Constitution and the mob broke into government buildings to steal the illegal ballots. The Hondurans did finally act before the President's henchmen held an unconstitutional election run NOT by a democratic government but by pro-dictatorship private individuals.

Let Obama try to run an election on a constitutional amendment in the US and see how fast the Supreme Court slaps him down here. In both the US and Honduras it is the Supreme Court's job to ensure no President violates the Constitution. Some people in Democratic countries are willing to die to protect their constitutional rights, the question is, "ayatoldya", are you willing to die in an attempt to illegally take those rights away by violent means ???

[prometheus21]

Total ignorance.

The Honduras constitution does not allow the National Congress of Honduras
to pass any law amending the Honduras Constituion that would change term
limits.

This is a RESTRICTION on the amending of the Constitution by the GOVERNMENT
of Honduras, DUMB-*****, and violation of it is COMPLETELY under the control
of the National Congress. There is NO LEGAL provision for blocking a
petitition for assembly of the Honduras people through referendum.

"But instead of prosecuting him or trying to defeat him at the ballot
box, his political opponents sent masked soldiers to fly Zelaya out of
the country at gunpoint, and Congress installed Micheletti in his place."

This was not done by the Honduras people AT ALL. It was done ILLEGALLY
via a military coup by the Honduras GOVERNMENT.

THE INCREDIBLE IRONY OF THIS IGNORANCE being that THESE SAME DUMB-*****
commenting here are SOME OF THE SAME PROPAGANDISTS who went APE-****
over a political MINORITY opposition in Iran attempting to assemble for
change WITHOUT MAJORITY and WITHOUT Referendum. UnBELEEEBABLY Fascist
EXTREEEEEEEMLY hypocritical, AT THE SAME TIME.

[hondojm]

Looks like Brianbwb is not going to respond to my comment. I live in Honduras from 3 to 6 months every year. I have been doing this for the last 7 years and I have learned a few things about the Honduran people. The poor will only support those with their handout and have no loyalty to any political party. Most don't bother with voting because they know that whichever party is in power their future is not going to change. Mostly middle class people support Mel Zalaya. He raised their wages up to 60% in 1 year, destroying most business. The old story goes here, don't blame the politician for losing your job but the evil business owner. If so many people are able to protest for the deposed president, it only goes to show how many people don't have jobs to go to instead. Protesters are probably given handouts from Hugo Chavez to fill the streets.

[summarex]

The minute this traitor sets foot in his country they should round him up and shoot him.

In public!

[kickfast]

I have the pleasure to invite you to Honduras,and show in your words how democrat you are..? no nuts¿

[quapawsix]

I wonder how much money we the tax payers spent supplying the people I saw in the picture waring American equipment and carrying American Made Assault weapons?

[rocketjl]

I'm not sure that all the outside critics even understand what is going on, inside the country. The President of the country is supposed to implement the laws and wishes of the country. 'All' of these nuts in a presidential office must understand that it is the people that put them in office and they do not have unlimited power to do as they wish. Now that moron Chavez wangled a constitutional change through in his country and he will be able to stay in power forever, doing the controversial things he has de been doing, much like a dictator. Don't screw up Obama.

[brianbwb-2009]

You forgot a couple of small details, first, the US is not in position to dictate what other countries do, we can only maintain that all international agreements and treaties be observed, anything further is pure BS, and two, the supporters (mostly the poor) of Zelaya far outnumber his opponents (mostly the rich).

[prometheus21]

I'm not sure that rocketjl even begins to understand that the people who put Zelaya in office want hime to stay in office, at least until the end of his elected term. It's not actually clear what laws have been broken, as petitioning a referendum from the people of Honduras to allow a constitutional assembly to propose changes to the Honduras constitution that the people of Honduras would again need to pass by some super-majority in Honduras, is in fact not in violation of the current Honduras constitution. In fact petitioning your government through referendum and assembly are among the most valued of democratic principles. "But instead of prosecuting him or trying to defeat him at the ballot box, his political opponents sent masked soldiers to fly Zelaya out of the country at gunpoint, and Congress installed Micheletti in his place." BTW: Chavez needs to at a minimum win the popular vote in Venezuela each election year -- unlike George W. Bush who can indeed be elected by the Supreme Court against the wishes of the country. Speaking of dictators and screwing up.