House Republican Says U.S. Involvement In Honduras Is Harmful

By Leah Valencia - University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) said Wednesday that U.S. intervention in the Honduran elections is punishing American commercial and economic interests in the region.

“During my recent visit to Honduras I was struck by the harmful effect U.S. policy is having on American interests and citizens in that country,” Ros-Lehtinen said.

Conflict began in Honduras earlier this summer when President Manuel Zelaya was ousted and removed from the country on June 28 after he defied a ruling of the Supreme Court to cancel a constitutional change that was deemed illegal.

Following Zelaya's ouster, Interim President Roberto Micheletti took over, causing conflict with those who supported Zelaya and perceived his removal to be a military coup.

U.S. officials and other countries have said that they will not recognize the results of the upcoming Nov. 29 elections in Honduras until the conflict is resolved and Zelaya is returned to power.

However, Rep. Ros-Lehtinen said that the elections are imperative to improving the country's conditions.

“Since when does the U.S. not support free, fair, transparent and constitutionally mandated elections?” Ros-Lehtinen said in a statement last week. “It makes no sense that the U.S. would side with Manuel Zelaya and his ALBA buddies at the expense of Democracy.”

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sent three top U.S. delegates to Honduras Wednesday to attempt to negotiate a solution to the political crisis ahead of elections.

Illinois Congressman Calls On Honduran Gov't To Allow Zelaya Back In Country

By Meagan Wiseley - University of New Mexico, Talk Radio News Service

In a press conference Thursday, Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Ill.) said that according to a report written by the Library of Congress, the removal of former Honduran President Manuel Zelaya was not a coup, and was, in fact, legal according to the Honduran Constitution.

“The nonpartisan Congressional Research Service concluded that the removal of former President Zelaya was Constitutional, and we must respect that," said Schock.

The report determined that while Zelaya's removal from power was legal, his removal from the country was illegal.

Shock believes Zelaya, who is being held in a Brazilian Embassy, should be released and allowed re-entry into Honduras.

"I call on the Honduran government to issue a general amnesty for everyone involved, including Manuel Zelaya, in his removal from power. With that said, that will require Manuel Zelaya and his supporters to obey the law and not advocate insurrection, the violent overthrow of the government or insight violence," Schock said.

Schock intends to work with the Honduran government to ensure that Zelaya is allowed back into Honduras and given the rights and responsibilities of a free citizen.

Latin American Experts: Zelaya Must Be Allowed Back Into Honduras

By Celia Canon-Talk Radio News Service

On Tuesday, experts from the Inter-American Dialogue warned that Honduras would continue to be unstable as long as ousted President Manuel Zelaya was not allowed back into the country.

“Zelaya is the elected President... If things degenerate further you won’t have good elections,” said Peter Hakim, President of Inter-American dialogue.

Hakim advised the international community to pursue “open negotiations involving [the] interim government.” Once an agreement is reached among the global community, Hakim advised Honduras to hold an election but warned that the quality of these elections depends on the stability of the country.

On June 29th, the Honduran military led a coup to overthrow President Manuel Zelaya. Armed forces intervened hours before a national referendum was due to take place to determine whether the constitution could be modified to allow the President to assume a second term, rather than the single term outlined in the country’s constitution. Zelaya was replaced by interim-President Roberto Micheletti.

Though the future of Honduras is nothing short of uncertain, many actors, including the international body Organization of American States, have gotten involved in the reestablishment of peace and stability in the Central American country.

“The OAS could take a strong position but then [it could be better to] not put the de facto Honduran government against the wall,” Hakim said

Genaro Arriagada, a Senior Fellow at the Inter-American Dialogue, added that besides the obvious necessary changes that should be brought to the Honduran government and constitution, further changes should involve the OAS 2001 democratic charter which was adopted by member states in order to ensure the presence of democratic institutions in all countries of the Americas.

The Charter needs to be reconsidered, explained Arriagada, “because it gives protection to the government but not to the opposition to the government.”