Mass Grave with 2000 Bodies Uncovered in Colombia

With today’s headline, we go outside the major papers to a significant story developing in Colombia where a mass grave containing an estimated 2000 bodies was recently discovered near the city of La Macarena. Via Plan Colombia and Beyond who has the major details of the story, the Nuevo Herald reports yesterday that the unidentified bodies were dumped in the grave fairly recently by the Colombian military (Adam Isacson says the mid-2000s while Jairo Ramírez of the Permanent Committee for the Defense of Human Rights in Colombia says the dates on plaques near the grave begin in 2005). A commander of the Colombian Army claims the bodies are those of guerrillas, captured by the armed forces but residents of the area maintain the mass grave is filled with relatives and friends who’ve disappeared in the last 4 years—individuals who they say were unaffiliated with guerrilla groups that operate in the area.

The grave is already being considered the largest single discovery of unmarked bodies ever found in Colombia, according to the Nuevo Herald. Excavations by the Colombian prosecutor-general’s office are set to begin sometime in March. And, as Adam Isacson notes, the shock waves of the discovery could reach the United States since La Macarena has been an important site of U.S.-supported military and development operations. He writes:

“In this area, the U.S. government supported and advised the Colombian Army’s 2004-2006 “Plan Patriota” military offensive, and since 2007 has supported the “Plan for the Integral Consolidation of La Macarena” or PCIM, part of the new “Integrated Action” framework that is now guiding much U.S. assistance.”

In two other Colombia-related pieces this morning, Reuters notes that an anti-crime plan being proposed by President Alvaro Uribe, which would see the government paying students to spy and inform on violent gangs in Medellin, is drawing fierce criticism from the opposition. And independent journalist Mareclo Ballvé of New America Media has new details about the increased use of unmanned (and unarmed) drones in counter-narcotics surveillance operations in Latin America—from Colombia to Mexico.

In other news today:

· The Wall Street Journal documents the ongoing challenges of aid delivery in Haiti this morning. “Trucks conked out. Communication with the U.S. military broke down. Traffic snarled the streets. Hungry crowds made handing out food unsafe”—these are all problems that the paper’s Christopher Rhoads reports on while traveling with US soldiers charged with food distribution. Also, the New York Times reports that Port-au-Prince continues to feel aftershocks, over two weeks after the initial 7.0 quake devastated the city. The paper also looks at how the historic tensions between Haiti and the DR have eased amidst the tragedy of the past weeks. “Our relations with Haiti will never be the same,” Pastor Vásquez, a senior diplomat at the Dominican Embassy in Haiti, tells the Times. The Dominican Republic has waived visa restrictions for Haitians seeking emergency medical care, authorized nearly 300 flights carrying aid and donated $11 million. And with opinions on Haiti this morning, Paul Collier and Jean-Louis Warnholz write again, saying that recovery efforts must now turn toward the question of creating jobs in Haiti. They argue private business will be essential for this and call on private investors to work with one another. The two cite George Soros who recently committed $25 million for “smart investments that catalyze Haiti’s competitive advantages.” And the Washington Post argues that the U.S. should “allow Haitians with relatives in the United States to join their families here as quickly as practicable,” rather than freezing the issuance of new visas.

· The AP says that Cuba is seeking an accord with the US on human trafficking. The issue will likely be discussed in the next round of migration talks, scheduled for next month. The tentative date for the meeting is Feb. 19 in Havana but the US has not yet responded on whether or not the talks will actually occur, reports the news service.

· From Nicaragua, an appellate court has reopened three old corruption cases against former President Arnoldo Aleman. The cases involve the sale of a government company, as well as purchases of cattle and a government plane, the AP writes. Aleman said recently that he wants to challenge Daniel Ortega in 2011 elections. Also, from AQ, news that Carlos Fernando Chamorro, famous Nicaraguan journalist and critic of the president, said this week he is leaving his job at Telenica Channel 8 after the sale of the station to relatives of President Ortega.

· Also from AQ, a piece examining the construction of a potential alliance between the PRD and the PAN ahead of 2012 elections in Mexico.

· At NACLA, an interesting piece from Roger Burbach of the Center for Study of the Americas, examining growing tensions between the government of Rafael Correa in Ecuador and the country’s social movements who oppose the president’s development agenda and governing style.

· News from the on-going dirty war investigations in the Southern Cone this week include the identification of 11 individuals--among the last to see Chilean President Salvador Allenda before the bombing of La Moneda in 1973—by forensic scientists. Also, Brazil recently extradited Uruguayan colonel Manuel Cordero to Argentina where he will stand trial for Operation Condor-related crimes. Cordero—an Uruguayan intelligence agent at the time—has been wanted for his involvement in the disappearance of an Argentine citizen.

· From Amnesty International, a set of recommendations for the new government of Pepe Lobo in Honduras (full report here), regarding what should be done to investigate rights abuses carried out by the coup regime. AI writes:

“The 13 recommendations include issues relating to investigations into the human rights abuses committed by security forces, rejecting amnesty laws for those responsible for the crimes, training judges on international human rights legislation and setting up an effective witness protection programme.”

Lobo Calls for Reconciliation, FNRP Says the Struggle Will Not End

After midday lunch with his mother, Manuel Zelaya, his wife, and children left the Brazilian Embassy in Tegucigalpa yesterday, in line with an agreement signed by the newly installed Honduran President Pepe Lobo and Dominican President, Leonel Fernandez. Lobo and Fernandez accompanied Zelaya and his entourage to the airport where a small twin engine plane awaited the group. Zelaya and Co. arrived in the capital of Santo Domingo hours later and the Dominican government provided the former president with a one-year visa. His closest supporters say the stopover in the DR will only be temporary, however, indicating that Zelaya has hopes of setting up a more permanent residence in Mexico—and perhaps then “one day” returning to his home in Honduras. “I am a true Honduran,” Zelaya told Radio Globo as he prepared to leave Wednesday.

As the New York Times writes this morning, “[Zelaya’s] departure on the day of Mr. Lobo’s inauguration pointed toward an end to the protracted political crisis…but the country remains sharply divided.” This even while Mr. Lobo called for “national reconciliation” during his inaugural address in Honduras’s national stadium yesterday. [Mr. Lobo stopped in the midst of his inaugural address to sign into law a “political amnesty” bill approved by the Honduran Congress the night before.] Indeed, thousands of Zelaya supporters marched to the airport to send the ousted president off rather than celebrating the inauguration of Pepe Lobo. According to one of the leaders of the Frente National de Resistancia Popular (FNRP)—the popular movement that has emerged out of the last seven months of conflict—the struggle for social reforms in the country “does not end here.” RAJ has more on what may become of the FNRP in the coming months (the movement thus far has said it will not recognize the Lobo government and the authority of the country’s traditional parties).

On the international front, the AFP confirms that a US delegation was present at Pepe Lobo’s swearing in but Ass’t. Sec. of State, Arturo Valenzuela, did not indicate that US aid to Honduras would restart immediately. Rather, Valenzuela simply stated that the country was “moving in the right direction,” adding that a unity government still must be formed as well as a truth commission. (More opinions from the LAWG and WOLA yesterday on what should happen in Honduras before the US normalizes relations). For its part, the European Union issued a statement Wednesday saying it hoped Lobo’s inauguration marked the beginning of a “new era” in the Central American country, hinting that a normalization of relations could be announced in the coming days. Others may soon follow, says the Miami Herald’s Andres Oppenheimer.

Finally, a last opinion by Daniel Altschuler at AQ who says the events of the last weeks and months indicate that “Honduras is as far behind as ever” when it comes to the rule of law. Comparing progress against impunity in neighboring Guatemala, Altschuler says rewarding coup regime leader, Roberto Micheletti, with a lifetime congressional salary and dismissing charges against the military high command, shows that “when it comes to justice, [Honduran leaders] are happy to flout internationally-accepted norms.”

In other stories this morning:

· From Just the Facts, news that 3 prominent US Senators (Russ Feingold, Chris Dodd, and Patrick Leahy) have written to Sec. of State Hillary Clinton, calling for a reevaluation of US assistance to Colombia. The senators note that there has been no decline in the amount of cocaine entering the US despite the allocation of $7 billion in aid from 2000 to 2009 and add that progress in the area of human rights protection continues to come up short. Therefore, in the 2011 budget they say priorities must include “greater emphasis on farmer-led programs with voluntary eradication coupled with effective alternative development programs;” a strengthening of judicial and law enforcement programs; a reduction of military aid and continuation of development and humanitarian assistance; and a more vigorous exploration of other alternatives for promoting peace in the country. The letter comes as 3 FARC rebels were killed on the Panamanian border by Panamanian security forces.

More from a new report co-written by the Wilson Center and the Colombia-based Fundación Ideas para la Paz which notes that President Alvaro Uribe’s “democratic security” plan has eroded the military capacity of rebel groups in the country (as well as partially dismantling paramilitary activity). But nevertheless, drug trafficking by various “irregular armed actors” has not declined, the proliferation of criminal gangs has accompanied the demobilization of armed groups, and a process of reparation, reconciliation, and reintegration has proceeded much slower than promised. “Although 2008 was indeed a critical year for the gue­rrillas, particularly the FARC, it is premature to claim that the ‘end of the end’ of the armed conflict is at hand,” the authors of the report argue.

Finally, Colombia was one of only a handful of Latin America mentions in President Obama’s State of Union address last night, with the president arguing trade relations should be tightened with the country in the coming year. Not likely, though, says U.S. Ambassador to Colombia, William Brownfield.

· On Haiti, a new poll shows that Haitians in the diaspora have little faith that the current Haitian government will be capable of rebuilding the country in the coming months. In fact, 63% of Haitians in South Florida and across the US said they disapprove of the way in which President Rene Preval has responded to the devastating quake of two weeks ago. Also this week, the IMF approved a $104 million loan (not a grant) to Haiti, which will have to begin repayment in five and a half years. Brazil pledged $205 million in aid (and 1300 more UN peacekeepers) to Haiti on Tuesday and Lula da Silva announced he’d even be traveling to the country next month. It was Lula’s foreign minister who recently called on nations outside the Western Hemisphere to pledge what they could for relief and reconstruction efforts in Haiti, and, interestingly, a number of African nations have stepped up with small, but noteworthy, pledges as well this week.

Also, the State Dept. feuded with Al Jazeera early in the week, displeased with the broadcaster’s coverage of US actions in Haiti following the quake.

· The Dominican Republic unveiled its new constitution a few days ago, but the document continues to be criticized by some who call it “a step backward.”

· Two interesting environment-related pieces at IPS in the last week. In Chile, a constitutional reform proposed by the government seeks to enshrine the availability of freshwater as a “matter of national security.” The reform proposed by outgoing president Michelle Bachelet (but which must still be approved by Congress) states that “water is a national good for public use, regardless of the state where it is located or the course it follows, including glaciers.” The reform follows similar initiatives in Uruguay (2004) and Ecuador (2008) who have also sought to reframe the meaning of “security” and “human rights” across the region. And in Peru, the Citizens Movement Against Climate Change (MOCICC), a coalition that includes 15 rural civil society organizations, is petitioning the government there to include data collected by local organizations on changes in insect-presence, water supplies, etc. into the country’s national climate watch system.

· Finally, an editorial in the Washington Post is back with another piece critical of Hugo Chavez and the “silence” of the international community in the face of media restrictions. The paper goes after liberals in particular: “If Mr. Chávez were a right-wing leader or an ally of the United States, Latin American governments and many Democrats in Congress would be mobilizing to stop his latest abuse of power, and to encourage peaceful and democratic opposition. But he is not, and they are mostly silent.”

Honduras: 7 Months of Crisis. And then it was Over?

It’s been just one day shy of 7 months since Honduran President Mel Zelaya was kidnapped from the presidential palace and sent out of the country by the Honduran military. But today, a new president, Porfirio Lobo, will take office (albeit under what Honduran papers are calling “extreme security”) on what would have been the end of Mr. Zelaya’s term in office. As various reports have indicated, Lobo has been trying his best to clean up the pieces of the June coup in the last weeks—all an attempt to regain favor with members of the international community who condemned the ouster of Mr. Zelaya. The AP’s coverage this morning says the inauguration of Lobo “ends months of turmoil and the quest by ousted leader Manuel Zelaya to return to power.” Lobo (along with the the DR’s Leonel Fernandez and Guatemala’s Alvaro Colom, allegedly) will, in fact, be escorting Zelaya from Brazilian Embassy that he has called home for almost four months to the Tegucigalpa airport on Wednesday. From there Zelaya will be on his way to the DR as a “private citizen.” Zelaya has told his supporters who have stood with him for months that he desires a quiet exit, going so far as to tell backers not to stage protests or show up at the embassy as he prepares to leave Wednesday. Nevertheless, many leaders of the Resistance have continued their calls for a constitutional assembly and reform.

Pepe Lobo was also busy pushing the newly installed Honduran Congress to pass a political amnesty measure late last night. He got his wish, although as RAJ and RNS at Honduras Coup 2009 write, the approved amnesty covers only “political and common crimes,” not “acts of corruption” nor human rights violations. The two—an indispensable source of Honduras information over the last months—write:

“Of these [crimes covered by amnesty], traición, delitos contra la forma de gobierno, abuso de autoridad, and usurpación de funciones (treason, offenses against the form of government, abuse of authority, and usurpation of functions) are the specific crimes included in the petition against President Zelaya submitted to the Supreme Court, which should mean that the original arrest warrant against him is now moot.

But these are also the most likely crimes with which the de facto regime and other coup participants could have been charged. So the bill passed by Congress actually is at least as much about protecting the authors of the coup as about achieving some sort of reconciliation.”

The Supreme Court did its part in protecting a few of the coup’s architects yesterday as well, dismissing charges by Honduras’s public prosecutor against the military high command for forcibly sending Mr. Zelaya into exile on June 28.

Among those who will be attending the installation of Lobo today are representatives of 19 countries including the US and now even Spain. Reports indicate that the United States’ top diplomat for the region, Ass’t. Sec. of State, Arturo Valenzuela will be heading the U.S. delegation, alongside US Ambassador Hugo Llorens and Mr. Valenzuela’s deputy and Tegucigalpa frequent flier, Craig Kelly. AFP reports that Colombian President Alvaro Uribe is also publicly backing the new Lobo government and has arranged face time with the new Honduran president Friday. And the OAS, in a statement late last week, said it too will seek Honduras’s re-integration into the inter-American system. Sec. Gen. Insulza admitted that the Tegucigapla-San José Accord “would not be met,” but said “at least, as President Zelaya himself has said, we have a dignified solution to his situation he is willing to accept.”

So what’s next in Honduras? Much of the reporting on today’s events would have you believe that the crisis has indeed come to an end. Not so, writes Adrienne Pine, a senior fellow at COHA and a professor of anthropology at American Univ. Pine—who’s also been writing on the coup for months now—says Lobo’s installation is “another disaster for Central American democracy, waiting in the wing.” “Just days ago," Pine argues, “[Lobo] proposed a neoliberal “national plan” for the next 28 years”—a plan which she believes will not take into consideration the serious social and economic divisions that lie beneath the June coup. From the perspective of U.S. policy toward Honduras, Pepe Lobo said yesterday that “With the United States, starting tomorrow, everything will be normal.” But the D.C.-based Center for Democracy in the Americas, among others, is telling U.S. officials, not so fast. CDA writes that before the U.S. normalizes relations:

“The Lobo administration must commit to implementing the San Jose Accords, establishing a truth commission, and creating conditions in Honduras under which a national dialogue can take place in which all citizens can freely and fully debate what steps are needed to reform their nation’s institutions without interference from their government.”

We’ll have to wait and see what’s next on all these fronts. But for now, most analysts and commentators agree that U.S. policy on Honduras has been far from a success.

In other news today:

· In Haiti, Der Spiegel adds to reporting about the relationship between UN Brazilian forces and US troops in the country. The magazine writes that “behind the scenes…Washington and Brasilia are quietly competing for influence and power in Haiti.” This comes as reports from the Washington Post and others, say Brazilian troops fired tear gas on a group of Haitians seeking food and water from relief workers yesterday. Officials are calling the incident “regrettable,” but the incident illustrates the significant aid distribution problems that continue to exist. The New York Times’ Haiti coverage looks at how youth, who make up 45 percent of Haiti’s population, have been impacted by the quake. Reports indicate that some $61 million was raised during last weekend’s Haiti Telethon, watched by 83 million people. The Hope for Haiti album that came out of the event is projected to top the Billboard 200 this week. It would be the first time an album that can only be downloaded online reached #1 on the music charts. Also confirmation today that Venezuela—one of Haiti’s largest creditors—has written off the country’s oil debt. The exact amount of debt that will be waived is not yet known, EFE writes, but at a meeting of ALBA member states, President Hugo Chavez also added that the bloc would implement an aid plan for Haiti that includes an immediate donation of $20 million to the country’s health sector, and the creation of a reconstruction fund that will be at least $100 million, "for starters."

· In Guatemala, former President Alfonso Portillo has been found and arrested by Guatemalan authorities. He’s wanted by US authorities on money-laundering charges and his extradition to the US was approved by a Guatemalan court last Friday. Also, former Panamanian leader, Manuel Noriega, is set to be extradited to France on similar charges. Noriega has been living in a Florida jail on drug charges for 17 years and wanted to return to Panama upon his release. That wish has not been granted, however. A French courtroom (which convicted Noriega in absentia in 1999) will instead be his next stopover.

· The Nuevo Herald says a new report, written by Sen. Richard Lugar and his top Latin America aide, Carl Meachem, argues that the OAS has been unsuccessful in stopping the erosion of democracy by elected leaders in Latin America. According to the paper, the findings could put the re-election of Sec. General José Miguel Insulza in jeopardy.

· On Cuba, the Havana Note highlights a recent Miami Herald piece saying USAID efforts in Cuba may be suspended indefinitely.

· On Venezuela, Human Rights Watch has a new statement out on the recent RCTV closure. HRW says “The Chávez administration should not abuse its authority to compel broadcast of presidential speeches that promote the government's political agenda.”

· And, finally, some interesting numbers from a recent Gallup poll about “socialism” and Latin America. Via Two Weeks Notice, the numbers appear to indicate that, on the whole, Latin Americans continue to desire a strong state role in the economy.

Haitian PM to International Donors: We Have the Capacity to Lead

International donors met in Montreal, Canada, Monday, agreeing to support a 10-year rebuilding effort in Haiti. According to the New York Times’ Marc Lacey and Ginger Thompson, the meeting included representatives of 13 countries, the European Union, the OAS, the UN, CARICOM, and Haitian officials, who estimate the reconstruction process will require some $3 billion in aid. In fact, Haitian PM Jean-Max Bellevire addressed the group yesterday in an attempt to show that the Haitian government—although shaken by the quake—still had the capacity to direct a major reconstruction push in the coming years. “The Haitian government is working in precarious conditions,” Bellevire told donors, “but it can provide the leadership that people expect.” In her comments, Sec. of State Hillary Clinton seconded Mr. Bellevire’s call for a partnership with the Haitian government. “It's important that we see ourselves as partners of Haiti, not patrons; that we work intensely together to produce results that can be seen and felt by the Haitians themselves.” Brazil’s foreign minister, Celso Amorim, added that the reconstruction efforts would only be successful if more countries from around the world pledged to take part in the recovery efforts as well. He specifically cited the need for Arab and Asian countries to get involved in providing reconstruction aid.

In the end, those international representatives that traveled to Canada agreed that they would carry out a thorough assessment of the damage and future needs of the country before deciding on an exact pledge amount. That assessment is expected to begin as early as next week, says the Times. A second-round of donor meetings is now being planned for March at the UN headquarters in New York.

The Financial Times adds to reporting, saying those gathered Tuesday were also urged by some, including Oxfam, to cancel Haiti’s remaining debt. “The Paris Club of creditor countries, which includes the US, Canada, Britain and France, has already said it would speed up cancellation agreed on last July of a $215m debt, part of about $1bn owed by Haiti,” writes the paper. While the BBC notes that the World Bank has agreed to waive Haiti’s debt payments for the next five years. But Haiti remains indebted to the Inter-American Development Bank ($440 million), as well as to Taiwan and Venezuela. While Venezuela struggles with domestic economic troubles, there are reports that President Hugo Chavez has agreed to “cancel” Haiti’s debt to Petrocaribe by creating a special plan that will provide Haiti with petroleum (Haiti owes Venezuela some $295 million).

Haiti opinions today include John Kerry in the Miami Herald and a damning assessment of the United States’ response to the quake in the Wall Street Journal, written by three US doctors who arrived in Haiti shortly after the quake.

In other news:

· From Venezuela. The LA Times reports that demonstrators, many of them students, took to the streets of Caracas and other cities around the country Monday to protest the effective shuttering of RCTV by the Venezuelan telecommunications agency (Conatel). According to reports, security forces fired tear gas and plastic bullets at the protesters who had planned to march toward Conatel’s offices. At least four demonstrators were injured in Caracas while Reuters reports on clashes that broke out between pro and anti-Chavez student groups in other cities, which took the life of at least one pro-Chavez demonstrator. Bernardo Alvarez, Venezuela's ambassador to Washington, said the removal of RCTV from cable television programming was not an attack on freedom of expression but rather “an administrative sanction under the law.” The Organization of American States Secretary-General Jose Miguel Insulza said the group's human rights commission had written a letter of protest and offered to mediate a solution. The French government urged Chavez to observe informational pluralism. State Dept. spokesman PJ Crowley said the US was “concerned” with Sunday’s decision against RCTV but did not say whether or not the US would bring the issue to a “higher level.” And an LA Times editorial this morning calls the move against RCTV “part of a pattern of regulatory attacks on the media.”

[Not to be overshadowed by Venezuela, in Peru, Boz notes a new Reporters without Borders statement protests the cancellation of another opposition television license by Peru’s government.]

Denying any connection to RCTV being pulled from cable, Venezuelan VP and Defense Minister, Ramon Carrizalez, also resigned Monday, citing personal reasons. His wife, the country’s environment minister, has stepped down as well, reports indicate.

And, finally, a very good response by Adam Isacson to yesterday’s Post opinion by Jackson Diehl—one of countless attempts by that paper to connect Hugo Chavez to every event around the region.

· In Argentina, the standoff between the government of Cristina Kirchner and Central Banker Martin Redrado continues today. Redrado was indeed barred from entering his office, late Sunday. And today a congressional commission is set to begin an investigation of Mr. Redrado’s conduct as Central Bank president. Its findings, however, have only the force of a nonbinding recommendation, writes the Wall Street Journal. Thus, most give Redrado little chance of returning to the job. Already he has been replaced by Miguel Angel Pesce, formerly his deputy, but Redrado now says he may come out against the government with an incriminating list of government loyalists who he says “bought dollars.” The saga continues…

· The inauguration of Pepe Lobo in Honduras is set for tomorrow, Jan. 27. There is news this morning that El Salvador will re-establish ties with its neighbor, following Lobo’s swearing in tomorrow. Brazil made it clear again yesterday that it will not be sending a representative to tomorrow’s ceremony nor will it, “for now,” be recognizing the Lobo government. Foreign minister Celso Amorim told the daily Estado de Sao Paulo recently that the decision on recognition will be determined largely by how Mel Zelaya is treated in the coming days. Also on Honduras, Amnesty International has put out a new statement demanding that Lobo order a full investigation of all human rights abuses committed by Honduran security forces following the June 28 coup. AI adds that all violators must be prosecuted and reparations be provided to the victims. Via Quotha, also news that the US State Dept. has called on Honduran officials to investigate the murder of gay activist and member of the Resistance, Walter Trochez.

· From the Wilson Center’s Mexico Institute, a note on the “absolutely positive” and even “historic” efforts against money-laundering under Felipe Calderon’s government in Mexico. This according to the National Office of the Attorney General in Mexico. Also from the Mexico Institute, a recap of US Ambassador to Mexico, Carlos Pascual’s recent talk at the Council on the Americas. Security, competitiveness, and energy and the environment were the major themes touched upon by the ambassador. And a New York Times piece from yesterday looks at the effect of the drug wars on the Tohono O’odham reservation along the US-Mexico border.

· ECLA, in a new report, says extreme poverty in Mexico and Central America rose by 800,000 people in 2009. Across the region as a whole the number living in poverty rose from 180 million in 2008 to 189 million in 2009.

· And finally, a series of reports (here, here, here) on the World Social Forum which began yesterday in Porto Alegre, Brazil. This year marks the 10^th year of the conference of activists, originally created as a “left” counter to the World Economic Forum held annually in Davos. Brazil’s Lula da Silva plans to address the forum Thursday, and most expect him to focus on “how Brazil has managed to lift millions from poverty as the country embraces an unprecedented boom.” An interesting IPS report on the WSF, looks at the type of model Brazil—the birthplace of the Forum—is following amidst its global rise.

Standoff in Buenos Aires: Kirchner vs. the Central Bank

Last week, Argentine President Cristina Kirchner canceled another foreign trip—her second cancellation in one week—this time to nearby Bolivia where she was expected to be present at the inauguration of Evo Morales. Kirchner’s reason, once again: a fear of leaving Vice President Julio Cobos alone with other opponents like Central Bank chief, Martin Redrado. As Perfil reported last week, Ms. Kirchner did not want to leave Cobos as the de facto president while she was out of town, suspecting he might call the Argentine Congress into an extraordinary session to ratify Redrado as head of the Central Bank and thus block the president’s attempt to use the recently created “Bicentennial Fund” to pay off part of the country’s external debt.

Now, this morning, a new twist. The Wall Street Journal reports that dissident banker Martin Redrado plans to return to work today, against President Kirchner’s orders. He’ll have to get through a line of police officers, however, who have been instructed by the government to arrest Redrado should he attempt to enter his office. This after what the paper calls a “two-pronged” court decision late Friday which upheld an earlier ruling banning the use of reserves to pay down the Argentine debt unilaterally (by the president) but also ambiguously “deferring the fate of the bank president to Congress and the executive branch.” The story goes on:

“The Kirchner government interpreted that part of the ruling as a victory in its battle against Mr. Redrado, who it maintains must step aside while Congress deliberates the matter this week. Mrs. Kirchner's hand-picked replacement, Miguel Angel Pesce, who had been Mr. Redrado's second in command, signed a document Friday confirming himself as interim president, the government said.”

Redrado, however, maintained he is the bank’s rightful president until the Congress tells him otherwise, writing in Argentina’s La Nación over the weekend.

In other news from the weekend:

· On Haiti, Reuters writes this morning that Brazilian UN troops are working with US troops in at least part of the country, handing out food and water now in one of Port-au-Prince’s most famous slums, Cite Soleil. There were no reports of security incidents as relief came into the neighborhood. Also, while the Pan American Health Organization says there have been no reports of much-feared disease outbreaks yet, international aid organizations are turning much of their focus this week to the massive tent cities that have sprung up across Port-au-Prince. The International Organization on Migration says some 100,000 more tents are needed to give Haitian survivors shelter and the organization has appealed for $30 million in funding to help in this effort. Meanwhile, the Haitian government said over the weekend that the search and rescue phase of the recovery was coming to an end. The government also said more than 150,000 bodies had been removed and buried in the last week and a half. This figure was up from the number of 111,000, reported earlier in the weekend.

The British medical journal Lancet issued a report last week, accusing international relief organizations of what The Guardian calls “corporate preening and self-interest” in the aftermath of the quake two weeks ago. According to Michael Schuster, a volunteer US ­doctor running a ward at Port-au-Prince's general hospital, “tens of thousands were likely to die because they had received no medical treatment while emergency teams scoured rubble for signs of life.”

The LA Times reported on the reopening of Haitian banks on Saturday to “give businesses a boost and free up money to begin the long task of rebuilding the country.” The Miami Herald discusses Haitian Ambassador to the U.S., Raymond Joseph’s recent comments about how to rebuild Haiti. Amb. Joseph insisted on CSPAN over the weekend that the country would be rebuilt “differently” this time around. And news that the U.S. has agreed to provide medical supplies to the over 400 Cuban doctors now working in and around Port-au-Prince. Increased medical cooperation between the US and Cuba in Haiti has been promoted by various advocacy organizations in recent weeks.

And with Haiti opinions, former USAID head, Andrew Natsios in Newsweek, an LA Times editorial, Mary Anastasia O’Grady in the Wall Street Journal, Amy Wilentz in the The Nation, Mark Schneider, again, in the Miami Herald, and Jackson Diehl (mostly about Hugo Chavez and Haiti) in the Washington Post.

· From Venezuela, two marches—one pro-Chavez and one anti-Chavez—took place in the capital city of Caracas on Saturday. Interestingly, the date of the marches had great historical symbolism, as Venezuelans marked the anniversary of the fall of the Marco Perez Jimenez dictatorship in 1958. Opponents of the president criticized the recent devaluation of the Venezuelan bolívar as well as electricity rationing. The pro-Chavez march ended with a speech from the president himself who demanded “absolute loyalty to his leadership” from his supporters, as he promised to deepen the country’s revolution. Then, on Sunday, television station RCTV was removed from cable TV. The move comes after the Venezuelan government refused to renew RCTV’s license to broadcast on public airwaves in 2007. Venezuelan officials say RCTV was not abiding by government regulations, which include airing the President’s speeches in their entirety. Critics of Mr. Chavez assert the action is an attempt to marginalize the opposition.

· On Honduras, the Washington Office on Latin America has put out of a list of “minimum conditions” that it believes must be met before the U.S. restarts aid to the country. The list includes 1. Verification that human rights abuses have ended, followed by the investigation and prosecution of violators, 2. The demilitarization of Honduran society and the return of the military to their barracks. 3. The establishment of a Truth Commission. And, 4. The development and implementation of a national dialogue process with all sectors of Honduran society. Also, Spain has said it will not send a representative to Pepe Lobo’s inauguration (the U.S. confirmed last week it would). And in The Economist an unnamed Brazilian diplomat says his country will only recognize the new government if it gives amnesty to Mel Zelaya, forms a unity government with some of Zelaya’s supporters, and is willing to discuss constitutional reform.

· Reuters reports this morning that the U.S. is seeking the extradition of former Guatemalan President Alfonso Portillo on money-laundering charges. The request was approved by the Guatemalan government late last week but investigators have been unable to locate the ex-president thus far.

· New reports say Sec. of State Hillary Clinton has written a letter to Ecuador’s Rafael Correa, indicating a willingness to talk with UNASUR and its member states about defense and security issues. Correa and many other Latin American leaders have long-insisted that the subject of increased US military presence at seven bases in Colombia be discussed through UNASUR-US talks. The U.S. military in Latin America is also the topic of Greg Grandin’s feature piece in the upcoming issue of The Nation. Grandin argues that Plan Colombia is the “anchor” of a “condensed Monroe Doctrine” marked by “a volatile mix of militarism and free-trade orthodoxy in a corridor running from Mexico to Colombia.”

· The New York Times profiles Chilean human rights activist Ana Gonzalez.

· Finally, one last opinion this morning as Anne Manuel, formerly of Human Rights Watch, praises the upholding of the Fujimori decision in Peru. And, further, she says the process could teach the U.S. a thing or two about accountability in the face of crisis.

Zelaya to the DR Next Week, Moving Day for Micheletti

In news from Honduras this morning, the New York Times reports that ousted Honduran President Mel Zelaya has accepted an agreement to leave the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa, “if all conditions are met.” Zelaya would settle in the Dominican Republic, according to the accord reached between incoming president, Pepe Lobo, and DR President Leonel Fernandez. The move is set to occur next week, when Pepe Lobo, elected in November, takes office. Zelaya called the accord a “first step” toward national reconciliation yesterday.

This comes as the country’s de facto leader, Roberto Micheletti, said he too is moving out of the presidential palace this week—a place he’s called home since the June 28 coup. Micheletti made sure to emphasize that he is not technically “stepping down,” just removing himself from the spotlight temporarily in order to pave the way for president-elect Lobo. “In the coming days I will adopt a lower public profile and step aside, so the new government has more room to act,” the coup leader told Channel 5 TV in Honduras. Micheletti’s cabinet will apparently be assuming presidential responsibilities for the next few days, ahead of the Jan. 27 inauguration.

For his part, Pepe Lobo has welcomed the news of Mr. Micheletti’s exit from public life. Reports indicate that Lobo continues to insist on amnesty for parties, from both sides, involved in the coup of June 28. Earlier in the week, Lobo said approving an amnesty bill, set aside by the outgoing Honduran Congress, and integrating a truth commission will be top priorities upon his taking office next week. Such proposals have the support of the U.S. government, whose top diplomat in the country, Amb. Hugo Llorens recently spoke at the Washington, D.C.-based Inter-American Dialogue Wednesday (audio here). In his talk, Llorens called political amnesty a “platform for stability” in the country. The ambassador defended the United States’ much-criticized policy on Honduras as well, calling it “consistently principled.” He also defended U.S. statements (or lack thereof) on human rights violations in the country, saying Honduras, since June 28, was neither similar to Castro’s Cuba nor Pinochet’s Chile.

On the situation in Haiti this morning:

--some of today’s headlines in the major U.S. papers focus on the economy and, what the New York Times calls, “the rapid surge in prices of crucial products.” However, the paper adds that gasoline is already becoming more readily available and a branch of Western Union recently reopened in Port-au-Prince, allowing remittances to begin flowing once again. The World Bank said Thursday it would waive payments on debt for five years while the IMF has proposed an interest-free $100 million loan for the country, as reported yesterday. The Inter-American Development Bank has also pledged $300 million (although the Times’ doesn’t describe the form that money will take).

--the Washington Post leads its Haiti coverage with news that humanitarian efforts are “intensifying.” This comes as Haiti’s seaport was reopened yesterday, a U.S. Navy hospital ship arrived Wednesday, and three additional airfields were finally opened for more relief flights to enter the country (two landing fields are in the DR and one is in Haiti itself). Also, from the LA Times, news that U.S. military presence in the country is expected to rise from 11,000 to 20,000 over the weekend.

--those numbers will no doubt raise more questions about the role of the U.S. in Haiti, the subject of much debate in recent days (more criticisms of the U.S. military presence here, here, and here). However, as CIP’s Adam Isacson writes, the use of the military in disaster relief is far from unusual. “…no country in the world budgets enough to maintain a permanent civilian rapid-reaction agency able to respond to massive natural disasters. During the first few days after a large-scale disaster – when transportation infrastructure has been destroyed and the priority is saving lives – only the military has the manpower, the boats, the helicopters and the equipment to do the job.” Nevertheless, says Isacson, “the ‘occupation’ phase must be short.”

--also, while French officials are backtracking on early criticisms of the U.S. military, and particularly its control of the airport, (UN Spokeswoman in Geneva Elisabeth Byrs recently said “Without them (the U.S.), the airport wouldn't work.”), there do seem to be growing tensions between the U.S. and Brazil over security. Brazil, who leads the UN’s MINUSTAH forces, said this week that it had no intention of voluntarily relinquishing any of its command duties in Haiti. After returning from the country, Defense Minister Nelson Jobim went further, saying Brazil was in the country for the long haul. Foreign Minister Celso Amorim also placed a frustrated call to Hillary Clinton this week, demanding Brazilian planes be allowed to land at the U.S.-controlled airport. There has also been some reporting on how other Latin American countries are stepping up aid efforts, including the Latin American branch of the Red Cross.

--Haiti opinions today by Mark Schneider of the International Crisis Group at the NY Review of Books, Mark Danner in the NY Times, and Elliott Abrams in the Post. Also an editorial on what Haiti is owed, from The Nation.

--and finally, for those who have been disappointed or frustrated with media coverage of the Haiti earthquake, particularly the frequent discussion of “security problems” and “looting,” I highly recommend an essay by writer, Rebecca Solnit, author of the recent bestseller, A Paradise Built in Hell.

In other news today:

· Evo Morales participated in the first of two inauguration ceremonies yesterday, this one an indigenous ritual ceremony at Tiwanaku. A second state ceremony is set for today. More from Jim Schulz of the Democracy Center on what to expect in Bolivia in 2010.

· In the Miami Herald, Juan Tamayo reports on what Cuba watchers are saying about the current state of internal politics within the Cuban leadership.

· On Venezuela, opposition figures are protesting the alleged “gerrymandering” of voting districts by President Hugo Chavez. Opponents of the president say the new district lines put them at a disadvantage ahead of legislative elections.

· A new Amnesty International Report says Mexican authorities are failing to protect human rights activists in the country. The report investigates some 15 recent cases of rights defenders who have been attacked, killed, and threatened since 2007. HRW also has been critical of President Felipe Calderon’s use of the military for policing, and the Mexican President recently responded to those criticisms. In a statement, the Mexican government said it was only responding to demands from civilian authorities and emphasized that “military intervention in public safety is only temporary.”

· In Chile, president-elect, Sebastian Pinera, is coming under early attack this week as stock prices of Mr. Pinera’s business interests rose substantially after his electtion. In just one week, stock prices of Axxion, a holding company which the new president’s stocks are primarily held, made gains that experts say pans out to $400m in profit for the new president.

· And finally, two opinions. A Post editorial is critical of Cuba for the recent detention of a U.S. contractor in that country, saying no new Cuba policy changes should be made until the Maryland man is released. And, in the LA Times yesterday, an editorial on Colombia and the arrest of human rights activist Principe Gabriel Gonzalez Arango, accused by the government of working with guerrillas. The paper writes:

“Gonzalez's last recourse may be the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, which could declare his prosecution invalid under international law. But the commission should go further than insisting on a fair process for one activist and urge systemic reforms in Colombia's judicial system.”

Aftershock Rattles Port-au-Prince Again, Debating "Insecurity"

The most powerful aftershock yet—registered at nearly 6.0—rattled Haiti once again early Wednesday. The tremor lasted only seconds but added new safety concerns for those survivors of last Tuesday’s quake.

While many now say the exact number killed in the devastating earthquake will never be known, the Haitian government is now using the figure of 200,000, according to the AP, with the European Commission recently raising its estimate of homeless to 2 million, from 1.5 million. The commission also said Wednesday that 250,000 people still are in need of urgent aid. Speaking to the New York Times, Miami cardiologist, Dr. Eduardo de Marchena, who is treating patients near the Port-au-Prince airport, said “there are still thousands of patients with major fractures, major wounds, that have not been treated yet.” And while the delivery of much-needed water to hundreds of thousands remains slow, many say that if the country experiences heavy rains any time soon, the result could be disastrous as it would increase the spread of disease.

There are also continuing complaints this morning that relief efforts have been both over-militarized and poorly coordinated by the United States. The aid group Doctors without Borders reports that “more than one of its planes carrying vital medical equipment has been kept from landing at the airport…costing lives.” While an official for the World Food Programme recently described the differing priorities of the U.S. military and aid groups. “[The U.S. military's] priorities are to secure to country. Ours are to feed. We have got to get those priorities in sync.” At the heart of much of this dispute are seemingly very different conceptions of the “security situation” in the country. According to Karen Greenberg, Executive Director of the Center for Law and Security at the New York University Law School, the use of the military in relief efforts reflects over a decade of significant funding shifts to the Defense Dept. and away from the Dept. of State. For more on “security” in Haiti, Amy Goodman has a report from Haiti and the Guardian recently ran an important opinion by journalist Inigo Gilmore, also covering the tragedy in the country. Both argue reports of “lawlessness” on the Haitian streets have been greatly overblown.

Dr. Paul Farmer and his organization, Partners in Health, also contend that a lack of coordination has been the central problem with the relief effort, not insecurity. “Everyone’s doing their own things, and we need to bring them together,” he tells the Times. The Wall Street Journal adds that PIH has estimated that as many as 20,000 Haitians may be dying daily due to a lack of medical treatment. The Haitian government’s communications minister has disputed those numbers, however.

Other Haiti news and opinions this morning:

--the LA Times examines the “Haitian elite” and their likely role in rebuilding Haiti.

--The Nation reports that the IMF has clarified the terms of its recent $100 million loan to Haiti, telling the magazine that the funds will be provided as an “interest-free loan of $100 million in emergency funds,” without conditionality—a marked change.

--Nick Kristof writes on Haiti in his Times column today, attempting to dispel some of the pernicious myths about the country being perpetuated in the media of late.

--And Julie Feinsilver, author of a couple of terrific books on Cuban medical diplomacy, adds her voice to others calling for U.S.-Cuba collaboration on medical relief efforts in Haiti, at COHA. Reuters also reports on the notion. “The magnitude of the crisis is likely to eclipse political differences with the U.S. in the short term and smooth the way for Cuban participation in the multinational relief effort,” says the Inter-American Dialogue’s Dan Erikson. There’s also mention of bringing Cuban doctors onto the U.S. base at Guantanamo, says Reuters. The U.S. recently announced it has plans to house Haitians at the base, in the event of a mass migration (as it did in the early 1990s).

In other news this morning:

· From Honduras, new reports indicate that a deal may have been struck to allow Mel Zelaya to leave the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa. According to the New York Times’ Elisabeth Malkin, Pepe Lobo and Dominican President Leonel Fernandez signed an accord Wednesday that would allow Zelaya to leave for the DR, with full rights (allowing the deposed president to travel and speak freely). Zelaya called the accord a “good gesture” late Wednesday. Also, via Honduras Coup 2009, news that the IACHR has issued its human rights report on Honduras. The report confirms serious rights violations. I haven’t had a chance to read the full report yet, but, from RNS:

“They conclude that as a consequence of the disproportionate use of force by security forces, that at least 7 deaths have occurred, and that the internal (Honduran) investigations have made no headway identifying and punishing those responsible. They also conclude that the security forces conducted thousands of unlawful detentions without an order from a competent authority, ignored the rights of those detained, and made no written records of these unlawful detentions.”

· Reuters reports on ramped up anti-drug efforts in Venezuela this morning. The country recently purchased new radars and other counter-narcotics equipment from China, Reuters writes, as well as increasing its off-shore counter-narcotics patrols.

· Three more opinions on Sebastian Pinera’s recent victory in Chile. Andres Oppenheimer at the Herald says Pinera is unlikely to become South America’s Silvio Berlusconi—the other famous billionaire president/soccer team owner. Alvaro Vargas Llosa, in an open letter to Pinera, pours gushing praise on the newly elected president. And in Colombia’s El Tiempo, Michael Shifter argues that ideological talk of “left” and “right” “obscures more than it illuminates.” Chile may only be the latest such example. Shifter writes:

“Beneath the surface, and beyond the labels, most Latin Americans are looking for precisely what they were looking for when a "shift to the left" was in vogue. As the Latinobarometro surveys have shown since the mid-1990s, they tend to want governments that can solve problems and deliver results. They want good performance -- efficiency and honesty -- in their leaders. The surveys also show that ideological orientations have held relatively constant.”

Also, I recommend Blake Hounshell’s short profile of Pinera’s brother, Miguel, at Foreign Policy. You may be surprised…

· And finally, somewhere at the nexus of domestic and international politics, Eric Farnsworth writes about how the victory of Republican Scott Brown in Massachusetts’ special senate election has Latin American implications. And it’s not because Lanny Davis chimed in on the race yesterday in the Wall Street Journal.

US Role in Haiti Continues to be Subject of Debate

The photos of U.S. military choppers landing in the front yard of the palace that once housed Haitian President René Préval do hint at military occupation. And as the New York Times writes this morning, given Haiti’s history of foreign intervention, the mass “influx of foreigners” is a particularly sensitive issue. (Comments from analysts like the Heritage Foundation’s Jim Roberts, who says the U.S. should use its efforts in Haiti to "counter the ongoing efforts of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to destabilize the island of Hispaniola," probably do not help). But, according to Marc Lacey’s reporting today, “with the government of President René Préval largely out of public view and the needs so huge, many Haitians are shunting aside their concerns about sovereignty and welcoming anybody willing to help — in camouflage or not.” Apparently Préval (who is featured by the Miami Herald today and says he survived the quake because he skipped his afternoon nap), recently gathered a group of Haitian business and religious leaders together at the police outpost he currently calls his office to ask whether they supported the presence of U.S. Marines in the country. Their answer, Lacey reports: “Yes — as long as it’s temporary.”

Former PM Michele Pierre-Louis agrees. “We have a power vacuum,” Pierre-Louis tells the Times. “The big question is, who’s in charge? We don’t feel as though there is someone organizing all this.” And from the U.S. military, more denials that what we are seeing in Haiti is an occupation. Col. Gregory Kane of the U.S. Army told reporters Tuesday that while the U.S. controls the Haitian airport, it is taking its orders from the Haitian government—or what remains of it. There have been some reports and news stories out there that the U.S. is invading Haiti,” Colonel Kane said. “We’re not invading Haiti. That’s ludicrous. This is humanitarian relief.”

The priorities of humanitarian relief efforts include providing medical care, the handling of corpses, shelter, water, food and sanitation, the UN said this week. However, it has also increasingly included security. The UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs recently described the security situation in the country as “stable, with limited, localized violence and looting occurring.” But Mr. Préval has said he has asked the some 12,000 U.S. troops now in the country to help UN peacekeepers with security. (the U.N. Security Council this week unanimously agreed to temporarily add 2,000 U.N. troops and 1,500 police to the 9,000-member peacekeeping mission in Haiti.) The Washington Post adds that the U.S. Navy arrived at Port-au-Prince’s largely destroyed port yesterday. Reports estimate the port will be up and running again in one to two weeks.

Also word from Haitian officials, reported in the LA Times, that some 72,000 bodies have already been buried by the state. This figure does not include the thousands that have been buried in private ceremonies, making the number of 200,000 dead (now being used by PAHO) seem more and more possible.

More Haiti news and analysis this morning include an interview with Haiti scholar Bob Maguire at Time, on how Haiti might rebuild. Ditto at Foreign Policy. Time also has a recent piece on the uneven distribution of aid being provided to poor and wealthy areas of Port-au-Prince. And Nelson Valdés has a piece criticizing such disparities between recovery in poor and rich parts of the Haitian capital at Counterpunch.

At Foreign Policy’s new UN blog, Turtle Bay, Colum Lynch asks if Haiti has been Sec. General Ban Ki-Moon’s “Katrina Moment.” Bloomberg reports on a Haiti international donor’s meeting, scheduled for next week in Montreal. The meeting will include Canadian officials, U.S. Sec. of State Hillary Clinton, French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner, and Brazil’s foreign minister, Celso Amorim, among others.

In other news this morning:

· Yet another recent Time report analyzes the still-growing feud between Argentine President Cristina Kirchner and her VP-turned-opponent, Julio Cobos. Last week Ms. Kirchner accused Cobos of plotting to destabilize Argentina, saying he has presidential ambitions of his own in 2011 that have made him the “de facto leader of the opposition.” The piece goes on to report that many of the president’s supporters are concerned Cobos “might make use of the president's absence during an upcoming trip to China to call a special session of Congress and reject a recent executive decree ordering the seizure of Central bank reserves to pay off part of Argentina's voluminous foreign debt.” Yesterday, Ms. Kirchner cancelled that much-anticipated China visit. Her reason: the trip would have been “too long especially when the country’s Vice President does not fulfill the role that has been assigned to him.”

· Yesterday, I mentioned the sharp, one-year decline in President Rafael Correa’s popularity in Ecuador. Other reports indicate Correa is not alone. The aforementioned Cristina Kirchner appears to be the least popular leader in the region, according to recent approval rating numbers, followed by Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua. Costa Rica’s Oscar Arias also has seen his domestic approval ratings plummet to their lowest point in some four years as well, ahead of Feb. 7 presidential elections (Arias is not in the running). Who are the region’s most popular leaders? Ricardo Martinelli has an astounding 91% approval rating in Panama, followed by Mauricio Funes, with 88% in El Salvador. Lula da Silva sits at 83% in Brazil and outgoing president Michelle Bachelet of Chile has 81% approval.

· From Honduras, the U.S. is still yanking visas from coup plotters as Pepe Lobo prepares to assume office on Jan. 27. News from El Tiempo yesterday that at least three more state officials have had their U.S. visas revoked, including the country’s Youth Minister, the Minister of Culture, Art, and Sports, and the Secretary of Public Works, Transportation, and Housing. A somewhat bizarre group of coup plotters, if I do say so myself.

· And in Venezuela, the AP reports that President Hugo Chavez has announced a gradual minimum wage raise of 25% (10% in March and 15% more next September). The move comes after a currency devaluation just under two weeks ago.