AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums Talk Belize Chat Area coup next door

By WILL WEISSERT and FREDDY CUEVAS, Associated Press Writers Will Weissert And Freddy Cuevas, Associated Press Writers - 1 hr 5 mins ago

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras - Honduran President Manuel Zelaya said he was the victim of "a coup" and a "brutal kidnapping" by soldiers, and President Barack Obama said he was "deeply concerned" by the Sunday morning detention of the Central American president.

Speaking from Costa Rica, Zelaya said he would not recognize any de facto government and pledged to serve out his term, which ends in January.

"A usurper government cannot be recognized, by absolutely anybody," Zelaya told a local television station at the airport in San Jose, Costa Rica shortly after arriving to potentially seek political asylum. Zelaya said he was taken away from the presidential residence early Sunday while he was still in his pajamas.

"I am deeply concerned by reports coming out of Honduras regarding the detention and expulsion of President Mel Zelaya," Obama said in a statement.

"As the Organization of American States did on Friday, I call on all political and social actors in Honduras to respect democratic norms, the rule of law and the tenets of the Inter-American Democratic Charter."

The statement said that "any existing tensions and disputes must be resolved peacefully through dialogue free from any outside interference."

Zelaya was detained shortly before voting was to begin on a constitutional referendum the president had insisted on holding even though the Supreme Court ruled it illegal and everyone from the military to Congress and members of his own party opposed it.

Zelaya was taken into military custody at his house outside the capital, Tegucigalpa, and whisked away to an air force base on the outskirts of the city, his private secretary, Carlos Enrique Reina told The Associated Press.

Tanks and armored personnel carriers rolled through the streets and Army trucks carrying hundreds of soldiers equipped with metal riot shields surrounded the presidential palace in the capital's center. About 100 Zelaya supporters, many wearing "Yes," T-shirts for the referendum, blocked the main street outside the gates to the palace, throwing rocks and insults at soldiers and shouting "Traitors! Traitors!"

It was not immediately clear who was running the government. Soldiers appeared to be in control, but the constitution mandates that the head of Congress is next in line to the presidency, followed by the chief justice of the Supreme Court.

Zelaya was violating his country's constitution with his referendum that would have, Chavez-style, repealed term limits on the presidency. The Honduras Supreme Court ruled the referendum illegal, and the military refused to distribute the ballots. Instead of backing down, Zelaya fired the head of the military, which precipitated the ouster.

I was reading about this today and it seems a tough situation. As you mentioned Skippy it seems like the process was done with Nobel intentions but one thing that struck me was the response of almost every leader. They all called for an unconditional return of Zelaya to power.

It made me wonder if there was a way built-in already that should have been used to handle this. Of course that maybe tough as the president is firing people.

Central America to pull envoys from Honduras
MANAGUA (Reuters) - Central American nations will pull their ambassadors from Honduras in protest at its army ouster of leftist President Manuel Zelaya at the weekend, a senior diplomatic source said on Monday.

The source said members of the Central American Integration System body, known as SICA, would withdraw their envoys.

The group -- made up of Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama -- was meeting in the Nicaraguan capital, Managua, as the Honduran army coup drew worldwide condemnation.
http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE55S6JI20090629

BELIZE CONDEMNS THE FORCEFUL REMOVAL OF HONDURAN PRESIDENT
June 29, 2009

The forceful over throw of Honduras president Jose Manuel Zelaya Rosales has caused rave concerns and reactions from regional and international bodies. Since the military take over on Sunday, the Organization American States along SICA and ALBA countries have been clamoring for the reinstatement of Rosales. Today the Government of Belize sent out a release condemning the actions of the military. The Government of Belize condemns the actions of the military against the constitutional and democratically elected President, his expulsion from the country and the illegal detention of members of his cabinet. The Government also rejects any attempt to have him replaced as the President and joins the international community in calling for the return of the rule of law and restoration of democracy in Honduras. And lastly, the release says that the Government is actively engaged in regional and international consultations on these developments in Honduras and is seeking an international response to this unfolding crisis. According to media reports things have remained generally calm in Honduras, despite the fact that police fired tear gas at demonstrators earlier today. OAS Assistant Secretary General Albert Ramdin today reiterated the OAS's position on the matter.

Albert Ramdin; Assistant Secretary General of the OAS

"Member States of the OAS in the strongest words condemns the coup and have requested and demanded the immediate, safe and unconditional return of President Jose Manuel Zelaya Rosales to assume his constitutional functions. All of this is meant to be the input for the meeting of the Special session of the OAS General Assembly which will take place at the OAS Headquarters in Washington DC on Tuesday June 30th at four 0'clock whereby foreign minister's of the 34 member states will have the opportunity to listen to a report from the Ambassador from Honduras in Washington DC to the OAS on the then current situation in his country and also to listen to the Secretary General on the basis of the consultation he had in Central America with other heads of state."

Following the overthrow yesterday, President Zelaya was flown to Costa Rica on Sunday. Reports are that the Honduran Foreign Minister was also detained. According to OAS radio reports, based on the Inter-American Democratic Charter and laws that Govern the OAS Tuesday's special general assembly could see Honduras being suspended from the OAS.
http://www.lovefm.com/ndisplay.php?nid=10317

Methinks Zelaya needed to go. Methinks he needed to go with proper legal process.

Many Hondurans, perhaps a majority, are pleading with the world not to interfere with what they see as a necessary move of ousting Zelaya and supporting the new government.

Now, let me get this straight. Zelaya was attempting to extend his term(illegally) The Supreme Ct and Congress opposed but:

"I am deeply concerned by reports coming out of Honduras regarding the detention and expulsion of President Mel Zelaya," Obama said in a statement.

"As the Organization of American States did on Friday, I call on all political and social actors in Honduras to respect democratic norms, the rule of law and the tenets of the Inter-American Democratic Charter."
Just ANOTHER tin-horn??????????????????

hmmmmmmm, same "concern" expressed over the "unrest" in Iran.

Obama is a whore!

The C.I. A is a well funded gang of thugs.

bruce explained to me this morning that by condemnation of the action, the thinking is to attempt to eliminate [military or violent] coups from the americas, and implement a more democratic or diplomatic way to make changes, when necessary, within a government.