Two betrayals of Honduras

The betrayal of Honduras
By José R. Cárdenas Wednesday, June 1, 2011 - 11:34 AM

"The Associated Press dispatch from Honduras this past weekend opens thus:

"The return of ousted former President Manuel Zelaya from exile Saturday brings Honduras' nearly two-year political crisis to an end and hope to one of the poorest nations in the Americas."

"Sure. And if you believed that, you'd believe Fidel Castro is going to call for free and fair elections in Cuba next week.

"Only the willfully deluded or the dangerously naïve would believe that the return of the disgraced former president means anything more than increased civic disturbances, more violence, and more chaos in one of Latin America's poorest countries.

"Why? Because that is the way Hugo Chavez wants it.

"The Venezuelan autocrat has bankrolled the two-year exile of his puppet Zelaya, as well the international campaign to force the oligarch-turned-populist's return to Honduras. Chavez has never gotten over the fact that Zelaya's attempt to replicate the Chavez model in Honduras was cut short by his impeachment by the Honduran Congress and his removal from office by order of the country's Supreme Court for violating the country's Constitution and other illegal acts. (Zelaya's apologists insist on characterizing what transpired as a "military coup.")"

Read the rest of this excellent article at Foreign Policy.

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Needs no translation

Speaking of betrayals, at this moment I am reading that the Organization of American States (OAS) session to discuss the re-admittance of Honduras back to the arms of the OAS — which was supposed to be a slam-dunk with the exception of Ecuador — is now being delayed for two hours because Hugo Chávez is making a last minute demand that the Honduran 'golpistas' be brought to justice.

So much for the 'gentlemen's agreement'. There are no gentlemen involved here!