A delegation of foreign ministers from around the Western Hemisphere arrived in Tegucigalpa on Monday, under the auspices of the Organization of American States. Al-Jazeera calls the visitors the “most prominent officials to visit Honduras since [Mel] Zelaya was deposed as president in a military coup on June 28.” Integrating the group were OAS Sec. General José Miguel Insulza as well as foreign ministers from a variety of governments, many from the center/center-right (Canada, Argentina, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Panama). The group met with de facto president Roberto Micheletti on Monday, but after the Supreme Court’s decision that Zelaya should be arrested if he returns to the country, the success of any negotiation still appears very unlikely. Nevertheless, the U.S. State Dept. welcomed the delegation’s visit, even supplying the group with the aircraft that shuttled ministers to Tegucigalpa. Meanwhile, the Financial Times reports that the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has issued its preliminary findings after a five day visit to Honduras. The group found abuses which included “disproportionate use of public force, arbitrary detentions, and the control of information aimed at limiting political participation by a sector of the citizenry,” seconding many of the findings of Amnesty International released last week. And moreover, the IACHR says the death of at least four individuals “could be linked to actions of agents of the state.” A full report will be issued by the OAS’s autonomous human rights body in the coming days.
In other news, the AP reports on series of drug-related stories this morning. In Argentina, federal police discovered four tons of ephedrine packed into oil drums and boxes, headed for Mexico. Investigators believe the seizure to be the largest of the drug ever in Argentina. And officials say the shipment had likely been hidden for months after the execution-style killings of three Argentine traffickers by Mexican drug gang hit men a few months ago. In Peru, a bizarre drug story as police found two turkeys injected with plastic capsules of cocaine. Both turkeys survived the removal of the drugs, says the AP. And in Mexico, soldiers detained a top drug mogul from the country’s La Familia cartel. The detained, Luis Ricardo Magana, was allegedly in charge of meth shipments to the United States for the notorious drug gang. In addition, a team of U.S. law enforcement officials arrived in Mexico on Monday to “explore ways to improve efforts against arms smuggling into Mexico as part of joint efforts to combat drug gang.”
In Brazil, the BBC reports on violent clashes in a shantytown near Sao Paulo where police attempted to undertake forced evictions of residents there. Some 2,000 people lived in the slum of Capao Redondo. At least one individual was injured and two were arrested. Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal files a story on Brazilian oil development. Royal Dutch Shell is the latest Western company to be given access to “one of the most promising new oil sources” just off the Brazilian coast. However, no new licenses are expected to be granted to foreign companies until Brazil establishes new a oil law which, according to the WSJ, is “expected to reinforce the role of the national oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA.”
Finally, an interesting opinion from the WSJ on China and Latin America that I missed yesterday. Hugo Restall writes that “Latin America is the most important arena for China’s investment,” and represents an opportunity for the U.S. if it “plays its cards right.” China’s role in the region is wholly economic/pragmatic, not ideological, says Restall, and its development bank could make a “critical difference” at a time when “the Inter-American Development Bank is largely tapped out.”
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