The class divisions that have pit pro-Zelaya Hondurans against backers of the de facto government of Roberto Micheletti are examined in an interesting article in the Washington Post this morning. “The two diametrically opposed views underscore the deep divisions and simmering anger evident in Honduras, where those who support Zelaya are generally poor and those who oppose him tend to come from the middle and upper classes,” writes the Post’s Juan Forero. “What divides us here is money, and we saw Zelaya as the guy who could take us out of our misery,” says the sister of the only pro-Zelaya killed thus far. These stark social divisions continue to make a negotiated settlement between the two camps difficult and increasingly unlikely. On Tuesday, Mel Zelaya was in Guatemala where he called for an “insurrection.” And observers and diplomats say it is possible that more violence could soon erupt. The Post piece notes that Honduras is both one of the most unequal and poorest countries in Latin America. A 2008 U.N. report on poverty and social exclusion in Latin America said seven of 10 Hondurans were living in poverty, the highest poverty rate among 18 countries surveyed. Critics claim Zelaya’s policies were not helping the poor, however. Adolofo Facussé, a Honduran investor who opposes Zelaya, says that raising the minimum monthly wage by 60 percent led to the firings of 170,000 people and that increasing the pay of teachers hit the treasury hard. Facussé, like many others who have been highlighted in various pieces about the Honduran situation, said he was worried that Zelaya was heading down the path of Hugo Chávez style socialism. Talks between Zelaya and the de facto leadership are supposed to resume Saturday, and mediator Oscar Arias once again urged the ousted Honduran president to “be patient” so as to avoid more bloodshed. For the United States part, State spokesman Ian Kelly again said all parties should put faith in Arias and give him a chance to let the process work. Senate Foreign Relations Chairman, John Kerry, adds to this opinion in a piece in the Miami Herald today. “The coup-plotters ask America to turn a blind eye to the coup because, they claim, Zelaya was a puppet of Venezuelan President Chávez. But this is not a Chávez problem -- it is a Honduran problem. In a country where 45 percent of the population lives on less than $2 a day and democratic institutions remain chronically weak, our focus should be on the plight of the Honduran people and on the drivers of instability and poverty in their country,” writes the Massachusetts Senator.
The LA Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post all report on the murder of what is now 12 federal police officers in the state of Michoacan, Mexico. The police officers are said to have been tortured before being killed by members of La Familia drug cartel operating in the region. A note alongside the bodies warned other Mexican police officers that they would face the same fate if they did not “leave or line up” with the powerful syndicate. The events represent the single worst loss of life for the federal police since President Felipe Calderon began his aggressive offensive against drug gangs three years ago, writes the LAT. The WSJ adds that, with a series of other killings that also took place over the last three days, a total of 18 federal agents have been killed, adding that “the violence highlights the increasing power, brazenness, and operational capability of Mexican cartels.” And the WP notes that La Familia “is a different kind of cartel, combining a code of extreme violence with a commitment to protect Michoacan residents from outsiders -- which would include federal agents and army soldiers.”
And the Miami Herald reports again on the restarting of migration talks between the U.S. and Cuba yesterday in New York City. The talks ended with American diplomats being invited to Havana to continue the dialogues on immigration matters, the first such talks in six years. “Progress was made in the identification of areas in which both countries should work and cooperate . . . “said lead Cuban negotiator Dagoberto Rodríguez Barrera. The Cuban delegation said it had submitted a proposal to U.S. representatives for a new immigration agreement and “more effective cooperation to combat illegal alien smuggling.” The delegation also added their opposition to current U.S.-Cuba immigration policy, saying that “legal, safe and orderly migration from Cuba would not be achieved” under the U.S. ‘wet foot/dry foot,’ because it “encourages illegal departures and human smuggling.”
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