Interim leader blames Chavez for Honduras troubles

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-07-03 07:56

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras: Honduras' interim leader accused Venezuela's Hugo Chavez of instigating his nation's crisis and lawmakers tightened a curfew aimed at stemming unrest, as coup leaders showed few signs of bending to international pressure to restore the exiled president.

Roberto Micheletti, who was named by Congress to replace President Manuel Zelaya after his ouster, has fought a largely losing battle to win international support for his government. The Organization of American States has given him until Saturday to step aside before Honduras is suspended from the group. The Obama administration halted joint military operations, and France, Spain, Italy, Chile and Colombia all recalled their ambassadors on Wednesday.

The fiercest criticism has come from Chavez, the socialist president of Venezuela who has called for Hondurans to rise up against the "gorilla government" and vowed to do everything possible to overthrow it and restore his leftist ally, Zelaya.

Honduras' interim leader struck back at this foreign critics on Wednesday, accusing Chavez of exacerbating Honduras' problems.

"Chavez has had a clear and definite intervention in the situation that Honduras is currently living through," Micheletti told reporters.

On Sunday, the day of the coup, Micheletti suggested Zelaya's support for Chavez, and vice versa, was at the center of the problem. Micheletti said then that Zelaya would be welcome to return to Honduras as a private citizen on one condition: "Without the support of Mr Hugo Chavez, we would be happy to take him back with open arms."

Honduras' opposition has accused Zelaya of moving sharply to the left since taking office, allying himself with Venezuela and Cuba, accepting oil on preferential terms from Chavez and bringing Honduras into the regional leftist ALBA trade alliance.

Chavez and Zelaya, in turn, have accused right-wing forces in Honduras of toppling him, and Chavez has denounced the allegations that he is stoking the flames in Honduras.

Thousands of Hondurans on both sides of the fight mobilized on Wednesday, with a large pro-Zelaya march in the capital and pro-Micheletti demonstrations held in other cities. No violence was reported.

The largest pro-Micheletti rally was in Choluteca, 120 km south of the capital, where demonstrators wore the blue and white of the Honduran flag.

Seeking to stem internal unrest, Congress approved a bill on Wednesday that toughens a nighttime curfew in place since the coup. The law gives authorities the power to conduct warrantless arrests and removes constitutional rights to assembly and movement during the 10 pm to 5 am curfew.

Soldiers stormed Zelaya's residence and flew him into exile on Sunday after he insisted on trying to hold a referendum asking Hondurans if they want to change the constitution. The Supreme Court, Congress - which is led by Zelaya's own party - and the military all deemed his planned ballot illegal. Zelaya backed down on Tuesday, saying he would no longer push for constitutional changes.

(China Daily 07/03/2009 page15)