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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TEGUCIGALPA 001241 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM HO
SUBJECT: TFH01: CONGRESSIONAL DEBATE ON RESTITUTION BEGINS 
 
REF: TEGUCIGALPA 1237 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary.  The Congress began its discussion of the 
restoration of President Jose Manuel "Mel" Zelaya around 
13:00 local time on December 2.  The Executive Committee of 
the Congress read the relevant portions of the 
Tegucigalpa-San Jose Accord, the letter to the Congress from 
the commissioners to the negotiations that led to the accord, 
and the reports submitted to the Congress by the other 
institutions of government on the issue of the restoration of 
President Zelaya. A motion was introduced to ratify the June 
28 congressional decree removing President Zelaya.  A roll 
call vote on the motion, during which each congressman was 
being allowed to deliver even lengthy remarks, began around 
16:30.  The debate and voting is expected to last late 
through the evening.  The Congressional deliberations are 
covered live on television and radio, the debate has been 
open and transparent, roll call vote by name is being held, 
all of which we lobbied for (reftel).  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (U) The Congress began its discussion of the restoration 
of President Jose Manuel "Mel" Zelaya as provided in the 
Tegucigalpa-San Jose Accord on December 2 at around 13:00. 
Once the Congress established that there was a quorum, the 
President of the Congress read the Preamble and Article 5 of 
the Tegucigalpa-San Jose Accord and the letter to the 
Congress from the commissioners to the Guaymuras Dialogue 
that resulted in the Tegucigalpa-San Jose Accord.  The 
Executive Committee then proceeded to read in their entirety 
the reports submitted to the Congress, at its request, by the 
Supreme Court, the National Commission on Human Rights, the 
Attorney General's Office (Civil), and the Public Ministry 
(Criminal). The Supreme Court's decision noted that there are 
criminal charges pending against President Zelaya.  The other 
reports laid out the actions taken by President Zelaya that 
contributed to the polarization of the country before the 
June 28 coup d'etat.  The report of the Commission on Human 
Rights stated President Zelaya promised not to change the 
Constitution when he took the oath of office and was guilty 
of abuse of power.  The Attorney General's opinion stated 
that President Zelaya tried to overthrow the constitution and 
stay in power, thereby violating Article 239 of the 
constitution; it also threatened to prosecute members of 
Congress that supported Zelaya's return.  The Public 
Ministry's Office said President Zelaya has not responded to 
the criminal charges pending against him, making him unfit to 
occupy the executive, and that his return to office is 
legally impossible because Congress would have to annul its 
June 28 decree and could only do so if the decree violated 
the law, which it does not seem to.  A polished video on the 
"facts before and after June 28" was then played on the floor 
of the Congress, which was clearly anti-Zelaya; it was 
unclear who had prepared the video. 
 
¶3. (U) Ricardo Rodriguez of the Liberal Party introduced a 
motion, to be voted on by a roll call, reconfirming the 
congressional decree of June 28 removing President Zelaya 
from office.  Rodolfo Iriras, the National Party whip, said 
the National Party (which has 55 seats in the current 
congress) unanimously supported ratification of the June 28 
decree.  Iriras did note the importance of a unity government 
and the Tegucigalpa-San Jose Accord.  He added that President 
Zelaya rejected the accord and boycotted the most transparent 
elections ever held in Honduras. 
 
¶4. (U) Cesar Ham of the Democratic Unification Party (UD), 
who ran for president in the November 29 election, gave an 
intervention against the coup in which he said his party had 
supported initiatives by the government of President Zelaya 
that did not please the country's oligarchy.  He said private 
industry tried to impose a neo-liberal philosophy and 
privatize the country.  Ham said the UD supported and will 
always support a Constituent Assembly because Honduras needs 
institutional change and profound reform.  Ham said ten 
percent of the country's population cannot control ninety 
percent of the land and called for a more equitable Honduras. 
 He said there had been repression and brutality against the 
anti-coup protesters.  Ham ended by stating, "history will 
judge and absolve us."  When several deputies made rude 
noises after one of Ham's critical remarks, the President of 
the Congress intervened, telling them to stop, adding that 
all would have the opportunity to speak. 
 
TEGUCIGALP 00001241  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
¶5. (U) Toribio Aguilera, whip of the Social Democratic 
Innovation and Unity Party (PINU), said the congressional 
debate taking place was for the benefit of the international 
community since the Honduran people had already expressed 
themselves on election day, November 29.  Aguilera said five 
months of uncertainty caused by the political crisis caused 
thousands of Hondurans to suffer.  He called for 
reconstruction of the country and for all political actors to 
work together to address the challenges facing Honduras: 
poverty, insecurity, and corruption. 
 
¶6. (U) Edmundo Orellana, who was Zelaya's Defense Minister 
until he resigned on June 24 in protest over Zelaya's firing 
of Chief of Defense General Romeo Orlando Vasquez, delivered 
an eloquent statement in which he announced that he was not 
at the Congress to defend President Zelaya, but to defend 
constitutional values and principles.  Orellana noted that 
the international community unanimously declared the events 
of June 28 a coup d'etat.  He added that some nations view 
the election in a positive light, but that does not mean they 
will recognize the de facto regime.  He warned that Honduras 
will remain isolated until January 27 and that it would take 
the government of president-elect Porfirio "Pepe" Lobo months 
for Honduras to be restored to the international community. 
Orellana said Honduras needs reconciliation and this requires 
restoration of the constitutional order, which does not 
necessarily mean the return to office of President Zelaya; 
Orellana noted that journalists had informed him that Zelaya 
had stated he does not wish to return to office.  Orellana 
concluded by saying that congress cannot ratify its decree of 
June 28 removing Zelaya with a motion, but needs to issue a 
new decree. 
 
¶7. (U) Vice President of Congress Juan Ramon Velasquez of the 
Christian Democratic Party asked how Americans could know 
what constituted a coup d'etat since they never experienced 
one.  He noted that Americans assassinated their presidents 
and said that, thankfully, Hondurans do not do that. 
 
¶8. (U) The Congress then proceeded to a roll call vote at 
approximately 16:30.  Each congressman was being allowed to 
deliver remarks when casting his or her vote, which is likely 
to make the proceedings go on for hours. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Comment:  As the Embassy recommended in its 
extensive lobbying over the past 36 hours (reftel), the 
debate is being carried out in an open and transparent 
manner, with a roll call vote by name.  While those opposed 
to Zelaya appear to be in the clear majority, those opposed 
are being given their day to speak, and are doing so 
eloquently.  As the events are being televised nationally, 
this is the first opportunity many Hondurans have had to hear 
detailed views of those that oppose the coup. 
 
 
LLORENS