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 The President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya called on Wednesday, August 12, on the United States to use more political influence to help solve the Honduran crisis.
Zelaya, who was received in Brazilian capital Brasília with full head of state honors for a one day visit, said Washington should address the issue with more energetic measures such as trade sanctions against the Honduran interim government. Almost 70% of the Honduran economy depends on the United States.
Following the hour and a half meeting in Brasília, President Lula reaffirmed support for Zelaya's "immediate and unconditional" return to Honduras. The Brazilian promised to talk to his US peer Barack Obama on the issue at "an appropriate time."
Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim told the press that Zelaya's return would largely depend on the position of the United States.
"President Lula said that clearly: we are concerned by the delay (in Zelaya's return), because as time passes, the chances for President Zelaya's legitimate elections calendar (scheduled for November) is weakening" Amorim said. Zelaya was expected to end his term as president at year-end.
Amorim insisted it all depends on "how the United States will act; it must be a multilateral action. We believe that actions should be conducted by the OAS (Organization of American States)."
Zelaya was deposed in a June 28 coup and flown to neighboring Costa Rica. Following the coup, Brazil recalled its ambassador from Honduras and suspended cooperation with the Central American nation.
The ousted Honduran president is scheduled to meet Chilean president Michelle Bachelet Thursday in Santiago. On Wednesday the Chilean Foreign Affairs ministry informed that on request from the "legitimate government of President Zelaya", the Honduran ambassador in Santiago no longer has that status and must "hand over his diplomatic immunities."
Meanwhile in Tegucigalpa thousands of protesters calling for the return of deposed president Zelaya clashed with police for the second day in a row. Youths with bandannas covering their faces threw rocks at police outside Honduras' congressional building. The police, protecting themselves with riot shields, periodically launched tear gas to disperse them.
It was unclear how many protesters took part in the demonstration. Police placed the number at 3,000; pro-Zelaya supporters said 10,000. There were no reports of deaths or injuries, but police said they'd arrested at least 43 people.
On Tuesday, Honduran authorities declared a curfew in the capital after the protesters, many of whom arrived by foot from outside Tegucigalpa in their largest organizing effort yet, broke windows, looted a Dunkin' Donuts franchise and set fire to a municipal bus.
Most commerce seemed to carry on as usual Wednesday, though teachers and medical professionals who were striking in solidarity with Zelaya shut down public schools and hospitals.
Mercopress
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Curiously, despite the political orientation of the parties which supported his election, (and perhaps due corrupt “financial incentives†from Caracas) Mr. Zelaya has recently become increasingly “friendly†with the neo-Marxist “Chavez Gang†(composed by the nearly criminal leaders of Venezuela, Cuba, Bolivia, and Nicaragua), which understandably alarmed Honduras intellectuals, the opposition parties, the Judiciary branch, as well as the Armed forces.
Then, Mr. Zelaya decided to emulate his new Venezuelan benefactor by suggesting a proposal to amend Honduras “Magna Carta†(their constitution) in order to permit presidential RE-election. However, because this proposed referendum was designed to modify a Magna Carta provision which does NOT allow subsequent amendments, the Judiciary ruled the proposal illegal, a move which was supported by the Armed Forces.
Almost immediately thereafter, the legislative branch approved a motion PROHIBITING referendums to be held 180 days before or after general elections which automatically rendered Mr. Zelaya’s plans impossible.
Nevertheless, the President supporters somehow ignored any opposition to their proposal and somehow produced ballots for the referendum, which were then placed under the protection of the country’s Military, which CORRECTLY refused to comply with repeated presidential demands for the Military to release the ballots.
As a result, the Minister of Defense was fired thereby triggering the leaders of each branch of the Armed forces to renounce their positions, which culminated with the illegal seizure of these ballots by presidential supporters. Consequently, the Military placed hundreds of soldiers in streets of the nation’s main cities thereby further deteriorating the situation.
In essence, it appears that even the very political parties composing the coalition which elected Mr. Zelaya eventually turned against this extremely corrupt individual.
Consequently, given the nature of the “filth†taking place in Honduras under the PREVIOUS president, everyone should PRAISE that country’s HONORABLE military for having prevented this shameful character, another potential Chavez puppet, from proceeding with his illegal schemes .