OAS mission to Honduras fails to sway Micheletti
The Organization of the American States mission concluded its two-day trip to Honduras yesterday unable to obtain backing of the San Jose Accord by the Micheletti regime and its supporters. Ousted President Manuel Zelaya has accepted the Accord in its entirety, but the de facto government remains opposed to two points in the Accord: one calling for the return of Manuel Zelaya to power and the other calling for a temporary political amnesty for both sides. Here is an excerpt from the statement of the OAS mission that visited Honduras:
Most of the actors expressed their agreement with the Fundamentals of the San Jose Accord, even though many of them raised concerns around the same. The powers and organs of the State expressed reservations about two points: one relating to the amnesty established in Article 205 point 16 of the Constitution of Honduras; and one which refers to the return to the powers of the State before June 28, 2009, which implies the return of Jos?© Manuel Zelaya Rosales to the Presidency of the Republic until January 27, 2010. For their part, the representatives of civil society opposing the Government of President Zelaya expressed fear of the consequences that his return to power could have for the peace and social stability of the country. .. While the Mission considers that steps forward were made during its visit, it must also recognize that full acceptance of the San Jose Accord lacks the support of Mr. Micheletti and the sectors that are akin to him.
Also yesterday, U.S. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly announced at a press conference in Washington the United States' decision to temporarily suspend non-immigrant visa services in Honduras. Last month the United States revoked the visas of top interim government officials from Honduras in an attempt to pressure the Micheletti government to agree to the San Jose Accord, and yesterday's decision is a new, more forceful, approach being taken by the U.S. government. One U.S. official told the New York Times that the visa decision was "a signal of how seriously we are watching the situation" and that "Washington was considering other steps though it was premature to disclose these." Here is the State Department's statement:
The OAS Foreign Ministers mission is in Honduras seeking support for the San Jose Accord, which would restore the democratic and constitutional order and resolve the political crisis in Honduras. In support of this mission and as a consequence of the de facto regime’s reluctance to sign the San Jose Accord, the U.S. Department of State is conducting a full review of our visa policy in Honduras. As part of that review, we are suspending non-emergency, non-immigrant visa services in the consular section of our embassy in Honduras, effective August 26. We firmly believe a negotiated solution is the appropriate way forward and the San Jose Accord is the best solution.
News outlets report that interim President Roberto Micheletti is still resisting pressure to reinstate Zelaya and vowed that "there will be elections [in November] whether they are recognized or not." He also said that any economic sanctions imposed on Honduras will not sway his government and that "nobody is coming here to impose anything on us, unless troops come from somewhere else and force us." While it appears that the de facto government is holding strong, suspended visa services and the threat of economic sanctions could have some effect on support for Micheletti and force him to agree to the San Jose Accord before the November elections, especially if the United States starts to act more aggressively on behalf of restoring democracy in Honduras.