US Revokes Visas for Honduran Officials

[magbana]

Now let's see, if you don't recognize the interim government, maybe you shouldn't push the legitimate government to compromise with it.
magbana

US revokes visas for Honduran officials

(AP) – 17 minutes ago

WASHINGTON — The State Department says it has revoked the diplomatic visas for four Honduran officials working in its interim government.

The announcement comes as the United States has been pressing for Honduras to allow the return of exiled President Manuel Zelaya.

State Department spokesman Ian Kelly did not specify Tuesday the names of the four officials, who he said are not in the United States. Kelly said that the department is reviewing the visas of all members of the interim government.

He said the revocations was in keeping with the U.S. policy of not recognizing the interim government."
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jTirTr7eUMzFRXPVAD3Qq12O6MPgD99NJ8R80

[Downwinder]

1. About time.

A lot to be said for "open" letters.

[Judi Lynn]

2. You beat me to the punch. I just got here to post the same story!

US revokes visas for Honduran officials

The Associated Press

Published: July 28th, 2009 09:33 AM
Last Modified: July 28th, 2009 09:34 AM

WASHINGTON - The State Department says it has revoked the diplomatic visas for four Honduran officials working in its interim government.

The announcement comes as the United States has been pressing for Honduras to allow the return of exiled President Manuel Zelaya.

State Department spokesman Ian Kelly did not specify Tuesday the names of the four officials, who he said are not in the United States. Kelly said that the department is reviewing the visas of all members of the interim government.

He said the revocations was in keeping with the U.S. policy of not recognizing the interim government.

http://www.adn.com/uspolitics/story/879157.html

It's only a month late, and some of these clowns have ALREADY flown to Washington for confabs with various assholes. Better late than never, eh?

[Judi Lynn]

3. Human rights court denounces press censorship in Honduras

Human rights court denounces press censorship in Honduras


Catalina Botero, the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), said there are “permanent forms of exclusion and censorship” in the wake of the coup that overthrew Manuel Zelaya, Telesur reports.

Botero reported receiving 12 complaints of media shut-downs and information about at least 25 journalists currently at risk. “Public media outlets which had favored president Zelaya were taken over, and the workers were fired,” she added.

She said the IACHR is monitoring the Honduran situation and is gathering the necessary information to process the complaints.

The Honduran crisis has also generated a “media war.” Claudia Parsons of Reuters says the tug of war between Zelaya and the de facto government has taken place on TV. The ousted president had to resort to networks like CNN en Español to broadcast live footage of his return to Honduras. Micheletti’s government, on the other hand, has used the state media to spread messages against the deposed president. (Juana Casas, also from Reuters, wrote a piece in Spanish on media in Honduras since the coup.)

http://knightcenter.utexas.edu/blog/?q=en/node/4716

[Judi Lynn]

4. Reuters: U.S. revokes four visas of de facto Honduras government

U.S. revokes four visas of de facto Honduras government
By Sue Pleming Sue Pleming – 35 mins ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States revoked diplomatic visas of four members of Honduras' de facto government on Tuesday, trying to force it to back down and allow the return to power of ousted President Manuel Zelaya.

Washington has refused to recognize the government of de facto leader Roberto Micheletti, which took over when Zelaya was toppled in a June 28 coup, and it had already cut $16.5 million in U.S. military aid to the country.

"We don't recognize Roberto Micheletti as the president of Honduras, we recognize Manuel Zelaya, and so in keeping with that policy of nonrecognition, we have decided to revoke official diplomatic visas, or A visas, of four individuals who are members of that regime," State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said.

He did not name the individuals but said the said the diplomatic visas of other members of the government were also being reviewed.

"It is part of our overall policy to the de facto regime," he said, adding that the measure was taken to support mediation efforts to end Central America's worst crisis since the end of the Cold War.

More:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090728/wl_nm/us_honduras

[flamingdem]

5. Excellent news, looks like Obama responded to the FAX sent by the Honduran Ambassador

He was on Radio Globo saying that he hand delivered the request about Visas to the State Department.

This is a good sign of support for Zelaya and should have the pro-coup forces peeing in their panueles but of course it would be better if they froze the bank accounts and that was also requested in the FAX. No dough, no coup.

[flamingdem]

6. Radio Globo repeating this news with enthusiasm, you can imagine why

because this message will be heard by the military and they will realize it's time to jump if they haven't already.

I just wonder who approved it and what Hillary intends. Zelaya did something very effective with his request, president to president communication cannot be ignored.