Clinton to meet Zelaya, US mulls cutting off aid

[cal04]

Source: Reuters

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton plans to meet ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya on Thursday, the State Department said as Washington debates formally cutting off aid to the Honduran government.

Despite worldwide condemnation of the June 28 coup against Zelaya, who was whisked into exile in a military plane while still in his pajamas, Roberto Micheletti's interim government has said it will not be pressured into stepping down.

(snip)
Clinton's Washington talks with Zelaya, a wealthy landowner who moved toward the left after taking office, take place against the backdrop of an extended U.S. government debate on whether he was deposed by the military.

(snip)
U.S. officials said the Millenium Challenge Corporation, a U.S. government corporation that gives funds to poor countries with a record of sound policies, has about $135 million in aid for Honduras that would have to be scrutinized and could be in jeopardy.

Read more: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N01205375.htm

[fascisthunter]

1. do it already

[Peace Patriot]

2. It's already too late for the US to save face on this unless extraordinary measures

are taken to ensure a fair election in November. Leftist candidates have already lost more than 2 months time with media blackouts of any leftist news or issues, all opposition or neutral media shut down, over one thousand political activists in jail, purges within government agencies of anyone who objects to the junta or supports the elected president, and heavy duty repression everywhere, including several deaths. You can't suddenly jumpstart a democracy and hold a fair election in these circumstances. The junta cannot be trusted AT ALL to run this election. Zelaya is termed out. He cannot run. How can the left mount effective campaigns, overcome all these handicaps and effectively monitor this election for intimidation of voters and for fraud? It cannot be done. The OAS has already said that it cannot be done. They will not recognize the results of this election.

So-o-o, in addition to restoring Zelaya to his office and restoring democratic order to the country, the election dilemma must be remedied. I think the election could only be trusted if, a) the junta has no part whatever in counting the votes--the entire election should by conducted by the OAS; b) full media freedom is restored; c) the election is delayed to give the left a chance to catch up, and d) possibly an OAS or UN peacekeeping force is employed to ensure a fair election (neither the police nor the military--which have gone along with and enforced the junta--can be trusted to do this).

Also, both John McCain and Hillary Clinton have been pouring millions of dollars into rightwing political groups and rightwing, coup-supporting businesses in Honduras. In addition to the oligarchy's existing wealth and control of all gov't institutions, they have this extra wealth at US taxpayers' expense, and the left is POOR, very poor. That is another unfair and disgusting disadvantage for the left. How is that remedied?

Finally, what about Zelaya's reforms? He doubled the minimum wage, raised teachers' salaries, lowered bus ticket prices for the poor and other social justice measures. As I understand it, the junta may have undone, or is undoing, these reforms. And the big reform--supported by unions, community activists, human rights workers, the teachers and ordinary citizens all over Honduras--the proposed constitutional assembly--remains the desire of most Hondurans, yet the advisory vote on this for November has been nixed. What's to be done with an entrenched oligarchy like this, that objects to any social justice or democratic reforms, even moderate ones?

These things could conceivably be addressed in an election--if the election is fair and aboveboard. That is a very tall order. And the fear is--among Latin America's leaders, and the people of Honduras--that this is what Clinton wanted--an election rigged for the rightwing.

[karynnj]

5. Do you have a link to back up this claim?

Also, both John McCain and Hillary Clinton have been pouring millions of dollars into rightwing political groups and rightwing, coup-supporting businesses in Honduras.

How are they doing this?

[Peace Patriot]

8. Hillary is head of the Millennium Corporation which was funneling millions of dollars

to rightwing, coup-supporting big businessmen. When a spokesperson for the MC was recently asked whether that funding has been suspended because of the coup, the first answer was "no"--they had received no directive from the State Dept. to do that--and the somewhat later answer was that they have suspended funding that "was not already in the pipeline" (a rather big loophole). In any case, at whatever late-in-the-day point that MC suspended all funding (if they have), the MC has already shoveled a lot of money into the hands of major coup supporters. This research was done by Al Giordano and Bill Conroy at NarcoNews.

http://www.narconews.com/Issue59/article3764.html

John McCain has funneled $43 million to rightwing political groups in Honduras, through the US taxpayer funded "International Republican Institute," via the USAID. The FOIA requests and research were done by Eva Golinger.

http://www.chavezcode.com/2009/07/role-of-international-republican.html

----------------------

Here is an interesting, alternative account of the coup and US policy, by Golinger. I don't agree with every point, but the thrust of it, I think, is true--that the US has been playing a double-game in Honduras.

http://www.monthlyreview.org/mrzine/golinger160709.html

-----------------------

Al Giordano is on the ground in Honduras, talking to many civic groups, unions, protestors and all kinds of people. His reports at NarcoNews have been excellent, and very eye-opening. It is from him I learned that the proposal for a constitutional assembly (to re-write Honduras' Reagan-era constitution) came from grass roots groups and unions all over the country. It was not Zelaya's idea. He was responding to a general movement for reform coming from the people. (I had frankly wondered about this--was he too far ahead of his people? Not so! The people were leading him. This is the sort of thing we just don't hear about in our corpo/fascist media. They make it seem like Zelaya is some kind of "caudillo"--as if it were all about him. Not so.)

[No Elephants]

10. Great info. Thanks, Peace Patriot. Talk about conflict of interest!

[David__77]

7. The "election" will not be legitimate.

It will have to be rescheduled even if Zelaya came back tomorrow. The fascist coup has already undercut the campaign period.

[SuperTrouper]

11. I don't get it. Micheletti is also a leftist like Zelaya, both from the left-leaning

Liberal Party in Honduras. The leftist candidate from the Liberal Party, Elvin Santos is leading right-leaning National Party candidate Pepe Lobo and even Santos has thrown Zelaya under the bus. Hugo Chavez declared two days ago that Zelaya is finished, President Oscar Arias of Costa Rica said that the new elections will end the Honduran crisis with the inauguration of a new President and his reasoning was that many places with dictators who allow elections produce civil governments that are immediately recognize by the diplomatic community. The IMF has just approved $150.1 million dollars for Honduras and in Brussels the EU will allow Honduras to participate in their meetings. So it sounds that Zelaya is done, Hillary should distance herself from him because everyone knows by now the high crimes and misdemeanors that he committed against the Honduran Constitution. The right wings do not have a monopoly on crime, we in the left also have our black sheep and Zelaya is one of them.

[Zorra]

3. Dear Madam Secretary: Should we or shouldn't we give $130 million in aid

to an unelected fascist dictator that took over the government of Honduras through a coup.

This is a no brainer.

[SuperTrouper]

12. Wrong, just watch the US give Honduras the money. The fascist wolf in sheep's clothing is Zelaya but

thank God that he is finished...even Chavez said so early this week.

[dipsydoodle]

4. "cutting off aid"

So soon ? :sarcasm:

[UTUSN]

6. But how can this be?!1 Since the Huguito Squads here have told us that Secty CLINTON & the Prez

through Lanny DAVIS have been supporting the "coup"!1

[happydreams]

9. Yea, after Clinton figures out how to reroute the money from MCC.