U.S.: Zelaya return in second stance
The White House has supported the convictions against the interim government.
On one side is the government of President Barack Obama, along with the rest of the international community, warning that if Honduras is not reached political agreement will be difficult to recognize the outcome of the elections scheduled for November.
The other is a group of House Republicans wondering why the White House would not recognize a process that suggested it would be "cleaner than it was just recognized in Afghanistan."
While the White House has supported all initiatives and convictions against the interim government appointed by Congress, headed by Roberto Micheletti, the Republicans have defended what they consider the legal exit of President Manuel Zelaya of power.
While Republicans acknowledge that their expulsion from the country by the military "was a mistake," insist on saying that the crisis created the deposed president himself, who they accuse of wanting to illegally change the constitution and align with governments like Venezuela , Cuba or Nicaragua.
But the debate no longer seems so focused on the return of Zelaya as President, the legality of his removal from power, or what he would have to motivate these actions, but on what grant validity to the elections scheduled for November in Honduras and how much would be used to definitively resolve the crisis.
"Escape hatch" electoral
This Thursday at a news conference that offered from Tegucigalpa the Under Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Thomas Shannon, appeared to struggle to define what will be Washington's position against any elections if deadlock persists between Zelaya Micheletti.
Shannon said that the efforts of Honduras on Wednesday in front of a high-level delegation from the U.S. government, seeking to create an environment for the international community to "accompany the process (...) and ensure that elections can take place in a atmosphere of peace. "
However, Shannon did not say whether this approach allowed the requirement background Zelaya's return to the presidency, which is what has so far prevented the parties from reaching agreement.
"The U.S., like the rest of the international community, believes that President Zelaya should return to your office," Shannon said, without saying how much restitution was something nonnegotiable.
United States, like the rest of the international community, believes that President Zelaya should return to your office
Thomas Shannon, assistant secretary of state for Latin America
"We recognize that we are working in an environment in which the end of the day will be the Hondurans who take their decisions," said Shannon, who drew a comparison with the recovery effort after Hurricane Mitch in 1998.
The U.S. diplomat said that this "crisis created by man" and "was the product not only of a particular sequence of events, but a larger, fundamental problem in Honduran society that must be addressed by the next administration" .
"Escape hatch" electoral
For Republicans the election is a "clear way out" of the crisis as "the gentleman from Florida, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who is part of a group of congressmen who requested an investigation into the involvement of the Department of State development of the crisis.
"We have a very good avenue of escape in the elections on 28 November. Why U.S. I will say no to the Honduran people when they want to hold elections? "said Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen.
For this group of House Republicans are certain fears that there will be no guarantees for free and fair elections, as claimed by some governments and human rights groups.
"In Chile, the crisis was more serious, I think it was 17 years of dictatorship, but how it was resolved?, With elections," he told BBC News the Republican congressman from Florida also, Lincoln Diaz-Balart, who is considered linked to called Cuban lobby.
"In Cuba we took fifty years of tyranny and what we want are choices. In Spain there were forty years (Francisco) Franco. In this case there has been a dictatorship, has been tracking the constitution to remove a president who was raping "the congressman said.
Diaz-Balart said "the only danger is that President Obama order military action to prevent the elections, but that would be really shameful act," but did not explain the reasons for such suspicion.
Election is not a solution
"We believe that this is not the case of an election that is used to exit from authoritarian rule but serves to consolidate an authoritarian government," he told BBC News, Viviana Krsticevic, director of the Center for Justice and International Law, CEJIL hemispheric organization defending human rights organization based in Washington.
In Chile, the crisis was more serious, I think it was 17 years of dictatorship, but how it was resolved? with elections "
Lincoln Díaz Balart by Florida Republican Congressman
For Krsticevic can not compare past experiences in the region, as this process "will help to consolidate a political plan of a group of people whose aim was to draw the political map to President Zelaya and his project."
Therefore, in the Cejil think that the only solution is the return of President Zelaya in his office and that an election administered by the interim government Micheletti not provide sufficient guarantees.
"Having a process in the context of today, restrictions on freedom of expression, inability to demonstrate, with the arbitrary arrests that have occurred since the coup and under the rule of Micheletti would be a mistake"
Rights groups highlight the several candidates sympathetic to the trend of Zelaya have withdrawn their nominations, so caution that a portion of the population is at risk of not being represented in the election outcome.
Who said what
Shannon's arrival provoked demonstrations in Tegucigalpa
For others the issue is not just political, but consider that there is a complex legal issue that would prevent the return of Zelaya to power.
"I see how businesses can force a change in the decision of the Honduran Supreme Court in the case against Zelaya," he told BBC News, California Republican Rep. Brian Bilbray, noting that the judiciary was deposed that disqualified president, who is the argument people Michelleti
"The executive branch, regardless of international agreements, can not sign an agreement that goes against the decisions of its Supreme Court. We in the U.S.would not allow the president to bypass the Supreme Court "Bilbray said.
Bilbray, Ros-Lehtinen and Diaz-Balart and other member of the group of Republican congressmen on Thursday asked the Office of Government Oversight, (GAO, for its acronym in English) to investigate what may have been the involvement of the Department of State in the development of the crisis.
This group not only believe that the White House took "the wrong side in the crisis," but the charge that he promoted the "illegalities" of Zelaya, so requested an official investigation to Congress.
The result of this report may take several months, but whatever the outcome, promises to create more divisions in American political life.
No comments:
Post a Comment