Obama’s deafening silence on Honduras

Obama’s deafening silence on Honduras  - | Mark Weisbrot || guardian.co.uk

Seven weeks after the coup in Honduras, the US is hindering efforts to restore President Manuel Zelaya to power

Seven weeks after the Honduran military overthrew the democratically elected president of Honduras, the divide between the United States and Latin America continues to grow.

The strategy of the coup regime is obviously to run out the clock on President Manuel Zelaya’s remaining months in office. A presidential election, in which Zelaya is not eligible to run because of Honduras’ one-term limit, is scheduled for 29 November.

In response to that strategy, the Union of South American Nations (Unasur) issued a declaration on 10 August that it would not recognise any government elected under the coup regime. It is worth noting that this was a unanimous decision. Even close US allies Colombia and Peru approved the declaration.

Then on 17 August, President Lula da Silva of Brazil, who has grown increasingly impatient with the delaying tactics, issued a joint statement with President Felipe Calderon of Mexico saying the same thing. Calderon is a rightwing president and was one of President George Bush’s few allies in the region.

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