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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 TEGUCIGALPA 000811 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL HO
SUBJECT: TFH01: MEDIA REACTION OAS FOREIGN MINISTERS VISIT 
 
"Foreign Ministers visit." 
 
¶1. (U)Editorial in the San Pedro Sula-based conservative paper La 
Prensa (8-24-09):  "The arrival... of seven Hispanic-American 
foreign Ministers is announced for today; perhaps they will listen 
and later ponder on the situation as the Inter-American Human Rights 
Commission did that stuck to an agenda and a script previously 
elaborated.  The OAS Commission is composed of the Foreign Ministers 
of Canada, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica 
and Argentina.  Argentina has repeatedly stated its position and 
with disregard has ordered the expulsion of the Honduran Ambassador 
in Buenos Aires; they cannot contribute something to solving the 
Honduran problem.  However, they come to the country as a token and 
in recognition that the first decision, the impulsive initiative 
that led to the condemnation, and the call for the unconditional 
return of the former President, was a serious mistake of the 
hemispheric organization, which is now trying with diplomatic effort 
to find a solution.  Let's not give up hope, because  in the 
meantime, while the ministers travel to our country, some of their 
governments are applying measures and demand to increase the 
pressure on the weakening of the Government through punishment to 
the people, -- to Hondurans in the countries where their ambassadors 
were expelled.  Little can be expected from the OAS ministers, but 
the need for dialogue, rapprochement and understanding is so big 
that we have hope that in the end it might lead their governments to 
the earlier history -- of before, during and after June 28.  Thus we 
have no doubt, more spaces will be open to understand in all its 
dimensions, the consequences of the authoritarianism toward which 
Honduras was being led, and from their acceptance, find solutions 
that should go well beyond academic democracy to impact fully on the 
social reality which is the greatest threat to the strengthening of 
the system of freedoms." 
 
"Urgent need to negotiate with OAS." 
 
¶2. (U) Op-ed by Otto Martin Wolf in La Prensa (8-24-09): "I think it 
is time for Honduras to start to negotiate its return to the OAS. 
It is true that we have been treated badly; we were suspended 
without being heard.  Unlike any court where the accused has the 
right to defend themselves and that they are only condemned after 
being found guilty, we were executed without them even hearing us. 
Honduras, 'the small country that could', should demand first before 
its re-entry to the OAS, the release of all political prisoners and 
free elections to be held in Cuba, as well as allowing the return to 
that country all exiles and their descendants, that for 50 years 
have fled (the island) in search of freedom.  In Venezuela, all 
television and radio stations closed or confiscated by the State 
should be reopened.  Also request that the President of Argentina 
renounce her position, since it is proven that her campaign was 
funded by Chavez.  Correa and Ecuador should also resign in shame 
because their campaigns received money from FARC, whose funds come 
from abductions, trafficking and extortion.  These conditions would 
ensure fair and legal treatment in the OAS to Honduras and - also-- 
bring freedom to several Latin American countries suffering under 
the weight of immoral dictatorships.  It is true that we do not have 
much to win by re-entering the OAS, at least not based on the 
discredit that its members and authorities allowed to occur 
(starting with its Secretary General), but I am sure that the people 
of the countries which I mentioned would benefit much if they accept 
our conditions.  If these conditions are not accepted, all of them 
can be changed for the only condition to respect the right that the 
people have to elect-- and remove-- its presidents and that nobody 
should interfere in that right, not the OAS, nor another country. 
To respect the right Honduras has to choose - and remove - its 
authorities, with attachment to law, but above all with the right of 
the people to be free and not have imposed dictatorships disguised 
as democracy and wrapped in the dark cloak of lies, demagoguery and 
populism." 
 
"Useless dialogue." 
 
3.(U)Op-ed by Billy Pena in the San Pedro Sula-based liberal paper 
Tiempo (8-24-09): "With today's arrival of the ministers of the OAS 
accompanied by Dr. Jose Miguel Insulza a milestone is marked in this 
sad drama developed in Honduras.  Nobody knows - accurately - what 
is happening and every day contradictory criteria arises.  The only 
thing we know for sure is that the people are violent and strikingly 
divided and that human rights have been violated.  The de facto 
government rejects the visit of the Secretary General.  He is being 
 
TEGUCIGALP 00000811  002 OF 003 
 
 
accused of serving Hugo Chavez.  Also it is being said that he is 
not Honduras' friend because he lacks impartiality; however, we 
recently accused the entire world of being against us.  Dr. Insulza 
in his capacity as Secretary General of the Organization of American 
States has a mission to fulfill and it is to accompany the ministers 
to Honduras for the purpose of seeking a negotiated solution to the 
political crisis that succeeded in dividing the Honduran people. 
Honduras is a high-risk country.  In addition, we do not understand 
why we rejected so vehemently the Secretary General; is it because 
he does not recognize the current government as legitimate?  Then we 
should reject the Secretary General of the United Nations and all 
governments that have isolated us.  The situation is serious, 
sensitive, and critical and -- if you want -- desperate. 
Unfortunately, (we have) not thought ahead about the negative 
consequences that will arise due to isolation in which we find 
ourselves.  The biggest nonsense is that we say we want to live in 
democracy.  What democracy?  We have never known democracy in this 
country that has been governed by military, by a dictator who stayed 
almost 20 years in power; meanwhile at the beginning of the eighties 
another President turned Honduras into an aircraft carrier for the 
United States.  We cannot talk of democracy when we have never known 
it.  We have been so naive that we believed that democracy is to go 
to vote every four years.  That is not democracy.  Because of our 
immaturity and bad reasoning we believe that the OAS, the United 
Nations and all countries are against us.  We are already in 
problems with Argentina and Venezuela, other than believing - 
childishly -- that the Costa Rican President Oscar Arias did not 
draft the San Jose Declaration on our behalf since the first point 
of that document requested the return of President Manuel Zelaya. 
That is what all countries and international organizations are 
looking for.  They don't do it to become supporters of President 
Zelaya but because they want to restore the constitutional order 
which was violently interrupted on June 28.  That is the purpose of 
the visit of the Organization of American States, the Secretary 
General, Jose Miguel Insulza.  They all want a diplomatic, brainy 
and peaceful solution to the circus show that we are offering to the 
world; however, the de facto government does not accept.  We do not 
believe that the visit of the delegation will yield positive 
results.  They will arrive to dialogue and to waste time... 
everything will be useless." 
 
"Smoke." 
 
¶4. (U) Editorial in Tegucigalpa-based liberal paper La Tribuna 
(8-24-09): "An OAS mission integrated by seven foreign ministers 
will come on Monday to Honduras in search of a negotiated way out, 
under the San Jose mediation, to the political crisis.  Going back 
to this first mission that comes from the OAS, there are many hopes 
and expectations to help restore peace to the nation.  The 
Inter-American Democratic Letter reads that in case a State Member 
has an alteration of the constitutional order seriously affecting 
its democratic order, the permanent Council, according to the 
situation, may order the necessary diplomatic efforts to promote the 
normalization of democratic institutionalism.  And also adds that 
when the General Assembly, convened to an extraordinary session, 
finds that there has been a rupture to the democratic order in a 
State Member and that the diplomatic efforts have been unsuccessful, 
according to the Letter the OAS will make the decision to suspend 
that State Member of their right to participation in the OAS. 
Perhaps the mission, apart from awareness lobbies on the San Jose 
mediation, could clarify on what diplomatic intervention, and what 
good efforts the OAS undertook, before suspending Honduras, as 
mandated in the Inter-American Democratic Charter?  In everything 
let's pray to God there will be positive results." 
 
"Can we trust the OAS commission?" 
 
¶5. (U) Op-ed by Oscar Antonio Oyuela in La Tribuna (8-24-09): 
"Before the failure of the Secretary General of the Organization of 
American States, by not dealing seriously with the case of Honduras 
and ignoring the research procedures established in the OAS Letter 
to settle disputes, the U.S. State Department chose to accept the 
good work of the Costa Rican President Oscar Arias, to mediate 
between the parties in conflict.  Meanwhile there are internal and 
international discussions on the issue; there have been questions 
regarding the Inter-American system, which according to some 
international analysts, requires prompt intervention before it 
collapses completely to the detriment of emerging democracies in 
Latin America and the Caribbean.  Others, however, consider that an 
 
TEGUCIGALP 00000811  003 OF 003 
 
 
evil (motive) is within those targeting hemispherical organizations 
and for that, the same States are responsible.  The OAS Secretary 
General has received strong criticism from distinguished 
personalities of the political and diplomatic world of the U.S. and 
Latin America; for example, the former Assistant Secretary of State 
for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Roger Noriega, who leads the list of 
Chavez' enemies, by saying that the OAS is closest to those who 
least value democracy.  We ask ourselves if we can trust this 
special commission announced by Insulza that will arrive in 
Tegucigalpa to reestablish the country's constitutionality.  Who is 
part of the Ministerial Committee?  What mechanisms did Mr. Insulza 
use for selecting members of that Committee? Is it a Commission of 
good faith or one prefabricated to make Honduras do what we 
Hondurans do not want?" 
Henshaw