From Americans in Honduras

The interim government of Honduras has rejected the idea that Manuel Zelayas could ever return to Honduras according to AFP;

…crisis mediator and Costa Rican President Oscar Arias proposed that Zelaya return Friday, in an expansion of a first plan already rejected by the de facto leaders who backed the army’s expulsion of the Honduran leader on June 28.

“The return of Mr Zelaya as president… impossible,” interim foreign minister Carlos Lopez Contreras said on CNN’s Spanish edition in Costa Rica.

Everything else was up for negotiation, he added.

I got an email from our friend John in David, Panama who has contact with some US ex-pats living in Honduras. John emailed the following report of their meeting with US Ambassador Llorens;

Summary of our meeting with US Ambassador, Hugo Llorens

There were 5 of us attending the meeting, [names removed]. We spent about 1 hour and 20 minutes with the ambassador. I think that this was an extraordinary amount of time.

We began by introducing ourselves, establishing our credentials (between us there was about 85 years of experience in Honduras), and stating our position on the actions that led up to and have occurred since June 28. Hugo Llorens was polite and actively listened to our points. He then expressed his and the State Department’s position. This did not vary from what we’ve all read and heard. A lively debate followed the ambassador’s presentation. Neither side changed the other’s opinion on the base issues.

Here are some key points of our discussion:

1. The US recognizes that Mel Zelaya committed various crimes

2. The US feels that there was time to pursue a more “normal” legal process to deal with those crimes

3. Our position was that the Hondurans didn’t feel that there was time. They felt that the “poll” on that Sunday was the action that was going to cause the fall of their democracy. They felt that they HAD to act then.

4. The US believes that the resolution of the crisis must come from the negotiations in Costa Rica. This includes the NEGOTIATED return of Zelaya. I add the emphasis on “negotiated” because I believe that they are backing off the “unconditional” return that has been stated by other countries

5. During the conversation, Ambassador Llorens stated emphatically that the US would NOT allow Chavez or any other foreign power to invade Honduras. The US still sees Honduras as a friend and ally.

6. We presented 155 signed letters opposing the US position regarding Honduras

Of course, what the Obama Administration says and what it does are two different things, but I hope for the sake of Americans living there, they stick to their guns on this one.

Category: Barack Obama/Joe Biden, Foreign Policy