PrintJuly 5, 2009
Zelaya to return to Honduras today
Typical Guardian nonsense. The far left British publication referred to the civilian, constitutionally valid government as the "Honduran Military Regime." And here's their account of the "coup:
Zelaya was taken from his home at gunpoint by soldiers and flown into exile on 28 June, after months of pushing for a constitutional referendum that Honduras's courts and Congress had called illegal. Many suspected the referendum was an attempt to remain in power after his term ends in January, although Zelaya denies this.
Of course, it was the Honduran constitution itself that prevented a sitting president from trying to extend their term through referendum. And the fact that Zelaya's illegal referendum stated quite clearly that the president should be able to run for another term makes the Guardian report either an extraordinary lapse in journalism or an outright, biased lie.
The government of President Micheletti has threatened to arrest Zelaya if he sets foot on Honduran soil. Fausta Wertz is reporting that this is not likely since it is probable that Honduran authorities will not allow Zeyala's plane to land:
Honduras will not allow the landing of any airplane that may be carrying Mel Zelaya back to the country.
While Zelaya was saying he was going back, in the company of OAS head Insulza, Argentinian president Cristina Fernandez, Chilean president Michelle Bachelet, and Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa, Bachelet's staff already denied that allegation, Insulza already visited Honduras and left (but will he be going back?), Fernandez is not going, and Correa and Paragua's Fernando Lugo are meeting at the Ecuadorian embassy in Washington DC to decide whether to go or not. Across the Atlantic, Spain's José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero offered to negotiate, but demanded Zelaya's restoration to the presidency.
There are already thousands of Cuban, Nicaraguan, and Venezualean thugs in Honduras, egging on protestors who want Zelaya re-instated. It is feared that their presence guarantees a clash between authorities and protestors if Zeyala somehow sets foot on Honduran soil.
Most neutral observers have reported that the bulk of the people are with the government. Whether violence instigated by foreign nations can be avoided will be the government's primary challenge over the next few days.
