The "international community" has imposed two new requirements on Honduras as a condition to recognize Honduras. They now insist that in addition to complying with the Tegucigalpa Accord, Mel Zelaya (and everyone else) must be given political amnesty − despite the fact that Mel Zelaya was the one who insisted that amnesty provisions be taken out of the Accord.
Additionally, Oscar Arias says that President-elect Pepe Lobo must get President Roberto Micheletti to resign. So, in other words, Arias is turning the Tegucigalpa Accord back into the San José Accord. He's worried that Lobo will receive the presidential sash from Micheletti. Too bad that Oscar Arias doesn't know that the Honduran presidential sash is received from the president of the congress, not the outgoing president.
Lobo, along with three of the four other presidential candidates and Ricardo Alvárez (Mayor of Tegucigalpa), met today with Costa Rican President Oscar Arias, Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli, and apparently communicated by telephone with Hillary Clinton.
Arias also insists that the Truth Commission be implemented as soon as possible.
Rafael Pineda Ponce, Minister of the Presidency, today again asked for nominations for the "Reconciliation and Unity Government" of the presidents of each of the political parties, the civic group Unión Cívica Democrática, and ex-President Zelaya. Zelaya has already refused to provide nominations.
Pepe Lobo's transition team is currently working with the current ministers in order to have a smooth transition in January. If the current ministers are replaced, we will have the blind leading the blind. To replace the cabinet at this point in time, with less than seven weeks until they will be replaced again, is ridiculous. Though Lobo has promised an inclusive cabinet, the Accord places no requirements for the same on the next president.
Arias said that without these requirements, "it will be very difficult for the international community to accept the new government." Sounds like a threat to me.
None of this is going to change the view of the ALBA countries and probably most of the Mercosur countries, who again just today declared their refusal to recognize the Honduran elections. Argentina President Christina Kirchner (the one who received suitcases containing US $800 million in campaign funds from Hugo Chávez) called for additional economic sanctions against Honduras, the second poorest country in the hemisphere.
So much for the Honduran solution to the Honduran problem. Will this ever end?
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