Clinton Tries to Mend Honduras Dispute on Central American Tour

[Judi Lynn]

Clinton Tries to Mend Honduras Dispute on Central American Tour
By Indira A.R. Lakshmanan

March 5 (Bloomberg) -- Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, on her first trip to Central America since last June’s coup in Honduras, announced the U.S. is restoring aid to the country and urged its neighbors to normalize ties following the election of a new president.

“Honduras has taken important and necessary steps that deserve the recognition and the normalization of relations,” Clinton said yesterday in Costa Rica, citing moves by President Porfirio Lobo to form a unity government and establish a truth commission to investigate abuses after President Manuel Zelaya was ousted and sent into exile by Honduras’s military.

While the Obama administration joined Latin American states in strongly opposing the coup last year, the U.S. disappointed many in the region by recognizing the election of Lobo, a conservative National Party candidate, without insisting that Zelaya be restored to power first.

Part of Clinton’s mission during a six-nation regional tour, which culminates today in a planned meeting in Guatemala with Lobo and four other Central American and Caribbean presidents, is to mend fences with nations that criticized the U.S. for capitulating to politicians who backed the removal of Zelaya, an ally of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

More:
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601070&sid=aGxL4Ai9Lz4Y

[Peace Patriot]

1. See my analysis of this Bloomberg copy & paste from the State Department handout...

Here...

Comment #6:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4294845

Whole lot of lies and propaganda in this article.

[EFerrari]

2. Bloomberg usually does better than this, imo. n/t

[Downwinder]

3. How can you defend the indefensible? n/t

[EFerrari]

4. I'm not defending anything, just expressing disappointment. n/t

[Downwinder]

6. Not you but Bloomberg or Clinton. n/t

[rabs]

5. Hil reminds me Joe Btfsplk

URUGUAY: Former Tupamaro founder (and tortured guerrilla under the U.S. backed dictatorship) and now President Pepe Mujica probably was not too thrilled to have her at his inauguration.

ARGENTINA: Hil offers U.S. mediation in the Malvinas/Falklands dispute, pissing off the British and pleasing the Argentines.

CHILE: Shows up with U.S. aid to earthquake victims -- Hil delivers a portable telephone to Bachelet!!! Brazil sends 34 doctors and field hospitals, Peru sends a field hospital, Cuba sends the Henry Reeve Medical Brigade. Any substantial aid from U.S. a no-show as of yesterday (or if any has arrived, it has gotten no publicity in Chilean media.)

BRAZIL: Lula's government tells Hil to butt out of Brazil's affairs. She is told that if Brazil wants to have diplomatic relations with Iran, there is nothing Hil can do about it.

HONDURAS: Hil shows up and offers to restore U.S. aid to the golpista-installed gorilobo government. She calls for full recognition of gorilobo's government. That will not set well with democratic governments in the region that refuse to recognize gorilobo as a legitimately elected president.

GUATEMALA: Hil in Guatemala City today for a meeting with Central American presidents. But two, from Panama and Nicaragua, snubbed her by declining to attend.

Yep, Mrs. Joe Btfspik in action in Latin America. :rofl:

[Downwinder]

7. How do you get her to say "notnilc," then will she disappear? n/t

[Wilms]

8. Pretty disgusting. n/t

[bemildred]

9. "Dang, I keep pulling the lever, but nothing happens?"

I mean the obvious question is why would any of these "leaders" want to support what happened in Honduras? "Yes yes me me can I be next?" Is that supposed to be the incentive here? Or what? Why are they supposed to think Honduras was a good sort of thing? What sort of morons do they have in the State department these days? Is there nobody that knows how to go beyond the threats and violence sort of "policy" initiatives left in there?

[Downwinder]

10. State trying to justify the pentagon. n/t