Comments on: Oscar Arias to Mediate Talks Between Zelaya and Micheletti

By: colm

colm — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 17:39:48 +0000

There is no proof that Zelaya was trying to extend his term of office. Infact he categorically denies this. I suspect his removal was more to do with his proposed economic reforms which would have benefited the poor majority of the country. Another example of elitists looking after their own selfish interests and not suprising considering the dark times we live in.

By: luisgonzalez

luisgonzalez — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 19:42:25 +0000

Zelaya CHOSE deportation over incarceration. Furthermore:

Title II, Chapter 3:
Article 42: The legal rights of any citizen is lost:
5) If the citizen incites, promotes, or supports the continuance or the re-election of the President of the Republic.

He lost all legal rights as a citizen once he embarked in his unconstitutional attempt at seeking re-election.

By: Hans_Bader

Hans_Bader — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 21:24:42 +0000

Don't misinterpret the military's "admissions."

They didn't violate the constitution in removing Zelaya from office; that was perfectly legal under Articles 239 and 272 of the constitution, and they were acting on court orders.

Rather, they violated the constitution in EXILING Zelaya, whose deportation was probably forbidden by Article 81 of the Honduras Constitution.

The fact that he was wrongly deported does not mean that he has a right to be reinstated to office, given that he flouted the Constitution and violated Constitutional provisions like Article 239, which required that he be "immediately" removed for so doing.

Using intimidation and aid from Venezuela's dictator to try to change Honduras's constitution is not a trivial matter.

By: DLS

DLS — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 19:27:55 +0000

“The Obama admin obviously has too much interest in brushing shoulders with Chavez”

I hope it's not for more silly or sinister ideological and political reasons than for, say, avoiding trouble with a major oil supplier who has been friendly toward Democratic voters (subsidized heating oil program).

By: DLS

DLS — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 19:23:02 +0000

Kathy, why don't you just demand that Hugo Chavez restore order to the country with a "peace action" by his military, then have him "manage" peace talks that _will_ restore Zelaya, which is what you want so?

Or a binding "fair hearing" to determine Honduras's fate could be held by Chavez, Ortega, Morales, Correa in Ecuador, and outside Latin America, perhaps Ahmedinejad (sorry, no US Dem campaign experts, too), Kim Jong Il (who is firm against US imperialism), and some additional "impartial" people such as Cindy Sheehan, Ahrandoti Roy, Noam Chomsky, Zelaya himself, and Ramsey Clark. Music by Joan Baez.

Or if not, you could feel better even if all the foregoing characters held a "symbolic" (awww) "hearing."

That is, if Obama's same-direction flirtations aren't enough to satisfy you.

By: dale223223

dale223223 — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:29:22 +0000

It's all up the the Hondurans to stand up for themselves at this point. The Obama admin obviously has too much interest in brushing shoulders with Chavez and the like so he seems like no help. I can't say I blame him though… sometimes when you need to manipulate people then you have to pretend to be friendly. Perhaps the statement by the admin that they aren't “officially” stating that the Honduran situation is a coup is like a “wink, wink… we are really on your side but we have to pretend not to be” statement. At least I hope that's the case.

By: EEllis

EEllis — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:58:27 +0000

It seems to me that there should also be a representative of the Supreme Court there. They had as much to do with Zelaya's removal as anyone and hopefully could forestall possible problems by being there at the talks.

By: Leonidas

Leonidas — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 03:48:12 +0000

Wonder if Chavez will smear blood on his shirt an claim to have been trying to rescue a Honduran child like that fake hero who appeared on CNN, but got busted by an eyewitness and photos.

Anyhow its good that they are trying to resolve this peacefully. As long as Zelaya isn't restored to power and Chavez isn't allowed to intimidate the legitimate Honduran government now in power, I don't mind if his puppet returns to Honduras as long as they keep him under close scrutiny and haul him back into exile the minute he breaks the law of tries to raise a mob of thugs.