Decrees which had suspended constitutional decrees in Honduras have been lifted. However, as CNN reports it is not all together clear if pro-Zelaya media outlets Radio Global and Canal 36 will be reopening anytime soon. Addressing the issue, de facto president Roberto Micheletti shirked slightly, saying, they would, only “if the law allows them.” “Because the stations were found to have violated the decree, the stations will have to appear before the courts to decide whether they will regain their broadcast permits,” Mr. Micheletti maintained. Nevertheless there was still hope that a solution to the three month old crisis was near. For example, on Monday, Micheletti acknowledged “for the first time” the possible reinstatement of deposed President Mel Zelaya on local television, reports AFP. And the OAS today announced another negotiating delegation, led by OAS Sec. General, Jose Miguel Insulza, would arrive in Tegucigalpa in the coming hours, adding that the inter-American body “will get the de facto government and followers of Mr. Zelaya” to sit down at the same table on Wednesday. In the words of OAS representative, John Biehl (the OAS’s chief negotiator in the last weeks) “We are quite optimistic. There have been very significant advances on both sides…” [El Heraldo has news of the upcoming OAS negotiations on its front page here]. But again, though, Micheletti, in his statements from Monday, placed great emphasis on the role the Supreme Court must play in any such process. And Mr. Zelaya himself showed little interest in the revocation of the emergency decree Monday, “calling it a meaningless gesture from a coup-imposed government that refuses to restore him to power,” (in the AP’s words). “Roberto Micheletti continues to mock the people, declaring that he is completely revoking the decree after achieving the most possible harm,” remarked Zelaya Monday [La Tribuna reports on Zelaya’s skepticism of the OAS process as well].
Mel Zelaya also spoke with “Democracy Now’s” Amy Goodman from the Brazilian Embassy on Monday and said the following about negotiations: “The OAS is taking an active role to establish the dialogue, and we’ve decided on three points of negotiation to ensure that it is a good-faith negotiation and settlement. First, the Arias proposal needs to be signed onto immediately. Secondly, we need to create follow-up commissions and monitoring commissions for the Arias proposal. And thirdly, international verification commissions must also be able to work with national verifying missions.” Also, in El Universal, Mr. Zelaya says Costa Rican President Oscar Arias’s statements about the Honduran constitution being “one of the worst on the planet,” really go to the heart of what the current crisis in his country is all about (and his belief that a constitutional reform is necessary).
Meanwhile, a second delegation from the U.S. Congress was also in Tegucigalpa Monday. This time it was Republican Rep. Ilean Ros-Lhetinen. She too got a great photo op with Mr. Micheletti, grasping the controversial leader’s arm, as she made the somewhat interesting case that cutting U.S. aid to Honduras has hurt the U.S. fight against drug trafficking. “How many drugs are getting through Honduras now because the Honduran government doesn't have the wherewithal to fight these narcotraffickers?” she asked. State Dept. spokesman Ian Kelly took on reporters’ questions about Ms. Ros-Lhetinen’s trip yesterday, as U.S. Embassy transportation apparently shuttled her around to various meetings with Honduran officials. Speaking of the OAS process as well, Mr. Kelly would not say if current OAS talks included returning Mel Zelaya to power for “a full term” of some shortened period of time.
Finally, the New York Times has a significant and must-read story today on human rights abuses committed by the Honduran coup regime. The piece begins: “Rosamaria Valeriano Flores was returning home from a visit to a public health clinic and found herself in a crowd of people dispersing from a demonstration in support of the ousted president, Manuel Zelaya. As she crossed the central square of the Honduran capital, a group of soldiers and police officers pushed her to the ground and beat her with their truncheons…”
In other news, the Washington Post had a report from Colombia over the weekend on extraditions to the U.S. of Colombian drug traffickers and paramilitaries, recently halted by the Colombian Supreme Court. Juan Forero writes: “In its Aug. 19 ruling, Colombia's Supreme Court said the extradited commanders -- eight more have been shipped north since May 2008 -- have stopped confessing their crimes. The court's investigative magistrates concluded that the extraditions jeopardized Colombia's international obligations to resolve ‘crimes against humanity.’ In an interview, Supreme Court President Augusto Ibañez said the court sees extradition as a helpful tool in the fight against drug-trafficking mafias. But he said the United States and Colombia need to ensure that extradited paramilitary chieftains comply first with Colombian war crimes investigations.”
The Miami Herald has more on former Pres. Bill Clinton’s recent trade mission to Haiti.
The AP writes that the conflict between indigenous groups and the government of Rafael Correa may slowly be subsided as the government says it will consider changes to water and mining laws.
As Brazil’s international profile rises, the country’s president will soon be hitting the big screen in a new biographical film about Lula da Silva. The movie is a “Rocky Balboa story” according to the film’s director.
Finally, two opinions. Andres Oppenheimer in the Miami Herald writes of his recent interview with NSC adviser, Dan Restrepo. Restrepo repeated to the MH columnist the Obama administration line that the government of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela is more a “nuisance than a threat.” Oppenheimer seems less than convinced: “If Venezuela and its allies continue crippling democratic freedoms -- as Chávez has done by closing major television and radio networks and stripping the opposition mayor of Caracas of his powers -- Obama should use his political capital to demand the collective defense of democracy beyond Honduras,” he writes. And in the Wall Street Journal, Mary Anastasia O’Grady questions pro-Zelaya forces in Honduras who she argues are adopting an anti-Semitic ideology from Iran, by way of Venezuela. She writes: “Neither Venezuela nor Honduras has any history of anti-Semitism. But with Mr. Chávez importing Mr. Ahmadinejad's despicable ideology and methods, an assault on the Jewish community goes with the territory.”
Note: I’m back from a week of travels and should now be getting back to my old posting schedule. Apologies for the change in schedule over the last few days! -jfs
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