The death toll rose to at least 25 after multiple days of violent clashes between members of Rio de Janeiro drug gangs and Brazilian security officials. Earlier this week the showdown led to the shooting down of a police helicopter flying over a Rio favela—just one mile from the famous Maracaná stadium at which the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2016 Olympics and 2014 World Cup finals are expected to be held. Talking to the New York Times, one Rio resident says “The images of the downed police helicopter ‘really shocked Brazilians, and now everyone is worried about what will happen with the Games. We need to tell the world where we stand so that people outside Brazil understand what measures we are taking and are not so worried when planning to come down here.’” The Times goes on to say that much of the violence is due to the fact that Rio police abandoned many of the city’s shantytowns under a prior security policy that emphasized the containment of drug traffickers. This allowed gangs to become extremely powerful in particular areas. And now, only recently, has the Rio government tried to adopt a “community policing approach” to stemming the violence in dozens of shantytowns. The approach involves having police officers establish a more permanent presence within the shantytowns rather than simply guarding favela entrances and exits. “For the first time the police are not coming into the favelas shooting, and then leaving only to draw the hatred and scorn of the residents,” says Silvia Ramos, the coordinator of the Centro de Estudos de Segurança e Cidadania at the University of Cândido Mendes in Rio. But other analysts insist that the new approach must also include new low-income housing projects and infrastructure improvements if it has any hope of succeeding. Rio experienced 4,631 homicides last year; a decline from 5,143 murders in 2006. But, to put the number in perspective, there were just 523 murders in New York City last year.
There’s been little to no new headway made in “unblocking” stalled negotiations in Honduras. However, late yesterday, Arturo Corrales, one of Roberto Micheletti’s chief negotiators, did make a surprise visit to the Brazilian Embassy to meet with Mel Zelaya, apparently at the deposed president’s request. “We exchanged information about what has occurred in the negotiation process, he asked me questions, I made proposals,” Corrales told reporters upon leaving the Embassy. But Zelaya negotiator, Victor Meza, once again reiterated Tuesday that Zelaya’s team would only return to official talks when a “constructive proposal” was provided by the de facto regime. Meanwhile, in Washington, OAS Sec. General, José Miguel Insulza placed blame squarely on the Micheletti regime for the most recent obstruction to talks. “One of the sides presented a proposal that includes a matter not included in the San José Accords,” Insulza explained Tuesday, referring to the Micheletti idea that the Supreme Court must approve Zelaya’s reinstatement. Insulza is expected to present an OAS report on the situation in Honduras today in Washington. Mel Zelaya is also expected to ask for more international pressure against the Micheletti government. For its part, the U.S. government appears to have already heeded the call, at least partially. La Tribuna reports that the visas of six more Micheletti government officials and prominent businessmen have been revoked (La Prensa puts the number at 26 visas this morning), among them that of current Micheletti press secretary, Rene Zepeda Flores. Others included in the recent visa crackdown include the Executive Secretary of the Foro Nacional de Convergencia Nacional (Fonac), Leonardo Villeda, the President of the Honduran Congress, José Alfredo Saavedra, the country’s human rights commissioner, Ramón Angel Custodio, and Defense Minister, Adolfo Leonel Sevilla.
And finally, FP’s “The Cable” reports that Sen. Jim DeMint may be ready to release the holds he has placed on the confirmation of top Latin American diplomats because of Obama administration Honduras policy. His new justification: DeMint says he believes the State Dept. may soon announce that it has plans to recognize upcoming Honduran elections. After meeting with current Asst. of State, Tom Shannon (coincidentally the same man whose confirmation as Ambassador to Brazil he is holding up), DeMint said, “We got a lot of agreement in the area of coming to terms with recognizing the upcoming elections there. That's what I'm waiting for from our government, signals that we're going to recognize those elections and move forward. He (Shannon) realized that it is essential that these elections go forward and are recognized,” DeMint went on. But Shannon has not yet gone so far as to say the U.S. would actually recognize them…and so the holds remain for now.
Around the region this morning:
· The BBC has more on the surprising Monday announcement by the Nicaraguan Supreme Court which lifted a constitutional ban on re-election. According to the BBC, the court’s unusual decision came after a petition from President Daniel Ortega and a group of over 100 pro-Ortega mayors. Six justices, all regarded as seen as allies of Mr. Ortega, determined that the constitutional ban on allowing re-election was “unenforceable,” and the electoral court in the country has indicated that it would support the Supreme Court’s ruling. As Boz writes, there remain a number of very suspicious elements regarding the timing of the court’s decision, so stay tuned for more.
· Reuters reports that the case against Colombian VP Francisco Santos has been reopened, related to the VP’s possible connection to paramilitary groups in the country. “The attorney general opened an initial investigation in 2007 after a former paramilitary boss, Salvatore Mancuso, testified that Mr. Santos had proposed creating a paramilitary group in the late 1990s.” The investigation was suspended, however, for lack of evidence. President Alvaro Uribe came to the immediate defense of Santos Tuesday.
· And in Cuba, the AP reports that New Orleans Mayor, Ray Nagin, is the latest public official to make a special mission to the island. The mayor was in the country for six-days, along with a group of state and local officials, to study the country’s disaster-response system, which he believes is a model from which New Orleans could learn a great deal. Nagin also met with the head of the Cuban Chamber of Commerce and spoke to tourism officials and at the Port of Havana, says the AP. “They [the Cubans] don't have to go to Vietnam for rice…They could get it directly from us. We grow it all,” remarked Nagin about the possibility of opening up trade ties with the island.
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