Breaking! Showdown in Honduras. President Zelaya is in El Salvador. UPDATE #3 (Revised)

The people confront the golpista military at the airport in Tegucigalpa, Honduras while awaiting the return of their president.

Update #3, 2:34 AM, Tuesday, July 6 - After circling the airport at Tegucigalpa, Honduras, President Zelaya's plane was diverted to Managua, El Salvador. For many this may have been a disappointment because of the hope that President Zelaya would land and be received by the tens of thousands of supporters who awaited his return. It should be obvious however, that the leaders of the coup have control of the military and the threat of bloodshed was too great to risk a forced landing. The golpistas killed one person and others were injured before Zelaya was expected to land at Tegucicalpa. The golpistas also placed vehicles in the runway where President Zelaya's plane would have landed. President Zelaya stated,

"I'm doing everything I can ... If I had a parachute I would immediately jump out of this plane."

We interviewed a member of Venezuelan intelligence tonight who knew in advance that President Zelaya would go to El Salvador for the reasons stated above. In his opinion, this attempt to return to Honduras was only the first step toward a process for true democracy in Honduras. Without the constitutional reform sought by the Zelaya government, the president will not be permitted to run again for office when his current term expires at the end of this year. Meanwhile, the question for President Obama is whether the U.S. will recognize the unconstitutional regime set up by the coup leaders? Obama's words are one thing. Whether the U.S. will continue to provide economic aid to this regime is another.

We must remember, that Zelaya is still the constitutional president of Honduras, regardless of the illegal coup that took place. Moreover, his entire cabinet are either in hiding or in exile in other countries under a fascist threat for their lives. Zelaya's political party has been crushed* so there is little hope that another candidate will be able to run for office in the December, 2009 election. But if a comparison to Venezuela can be made (and we think it can), we must remember that the process in Venezuela began, not with Hugo Chavez Frias, but with the people. After the Caracazo on on February 27, 1989, President Chavez led a failed coup against the U.S.-backed regime of Carlos Andrés Pérez in 1992. After that he was imprisoned but the Venezuelan people grew in power to bring him back in a democratic election in 1998 and the rest is history. The road to a bloodless revolution is a long and difficult one. The days of bloody coups appear to be a thing of the past. Instead, these are days of systematic, democratic victories that require intelligence, time and most of all, patience. The voice of Latin America has spoken with the absolute rejection of this coup d'etat and dismissal of the current illegal regime in Honduras from membership by the OAS. The coup leaders have also been rejected by the UN and the rest of the world. This de facto regime in Honduras cannot stand the test of time and the power of the people. In how many months? years? will the people of Honduras gain power over the U.S.-backed oligarchy? Noone can say. But the voice of history and the power of the people have spoken and we will prevail. It is only a matter of time.

- Les Blough in Venezuela

*Note: Our friend, toni solo, editor of Tortilla con sal in Nicaragua, clarified a few things for us about "President Zelaya's political party:

"The Honduran Liberal Party is a broad church that includes downright fascists as well as socialist-minded people like Patricia Rodas. President Zelaya got elected by convincing the various party sects that he could win the presidential election in 2005 - but he never actually had his own party. As governmental matters began to monopolize his time more and more he seems to have lost touch with what was happening in the party and that gave fascist pendejos like Micheletti and his mates the time they needed to get a stranglehold on the party machine. Any re-election that Zelaya might have in mind is way down the road because he is ineligible in any case to stand for re-election this November. The Constitution would have to be changed before he could do so; therefore his earliest re-election, even supposing the Constitution could be changed - would be in 2013."

Update 2:25, Venezuela time - CNN is showing some Honduran people today, "protesting" in support of the coup d'etat. The CNN anchor describes Hondurans as "elated with the ouster of Zelaya" and in full support of Roberto Micheletti. CNN recognizes Micheletti as the "interim president of Honduras" and is showing nothing of Zelaya supporters. Meanwhile, tens of thousands are shown on Telesur, marching to the airport in Tegucigalpa in support of President Zelaya and waiting to receive and restore him to the presidency. - LMB

Update 1:44 PM, Venezuela time - On live Telesur - At least tens of thousands of marching Hondurans have now arrived at the Tegucigalpa Airport to receive President Zelaya. Military helicopters are hovering and circling over them. President Zelay's plane with 3 other Latin American presidents aboard has not yet arrived. - LMB

Manuel Zelaya, President of Honduras

Apparently, a showdown between the Coup Leaders and the rest of the world is coming today in Honduras. The OAS has rejected the Coup D'etat and has suspended Honduras. The U.N. has voted 198-1 against the coup, Israel being the only state supporting it. The U.S. is now giving tacit support for the coup and rejection of President Zelaya. President Zelaya has called for his supporters to resist the coup without violence and has vowed to return to Honduras today. Telesur reports that his plane is scheduled to arrive between 1 and 2 p.m. this afternoon. The Coup Leaders state they will arrest him if he returns. Three Latin American presidents say they will accompany him. As we watch Telesur this morning we watch thousands of Hondurans marching at the airport, protesting the coup and supporting their democratically-elected president.

Hondurans marching to the airport in Tegucigalpa, Honduras to receive their president.

The Golpistas issued a statement that they will bar Zelaya's plane from landing. Both sides are standing by their plans for this confrontation. Cardinal Andres Rodriguez, the voice of the Catholic Church supports the coup and issued a thinly-veiled threat of a "blood bath". Not surprisingly, based on opposition media and our interviews with members of the opposition here in Venezuela, they are supporting the coup d'etat in Honduras. Eva Golinger provides more details in her article below (photos added by Axis of Logic). See live coverage of the story on Telesur. Stay tuned to Axis of Logic for updates on this dramatic, dangerous and developing story throughout the day.

- Les Blough in Venezuela

DAY 7: OAS SUSPENDS HONDURAS; ZELAYA SAYS HE WILL RETURN HOME SUNDAY

Things are really heating up in the streets in Honduras. Mass marches supporting President Zelaya, ousted in last Sunday's coup d'etat, have set on the capital, Tegucigalpa, anticipating the president's return on Sunday, July 5th. Zelaya issued a statement to his supporters in Honduras, calling on them to resist the coup in a non violent way and to await his return on Sunday. He also told the coup leaders to step down now while they still can, reaffirming the isolation imposed upon them by the international community. President Zelaya has said he will return on Sunday around noon, arriving at the international airport outside the capital city. He will be accompanied by President Cristina Fernandez from Argentina, President Fernando Lugo from Paraguay and President Rafael Correa from Ecuador.

Rafael Correa,
President of Ecuador Cristina Fernández
de Kirchner, President
of Argentina Fernando Lugo,
President of Paraguay

The coup leaders still refuse to relinquish power and have reiterated that should Zelaya return, he will be arrested and imprisoned for crimes of "treason". (Uh, I think it's the other way around guys. Overthrowing and kidnapping a democratically elected president at gunpoint and forcing him into exile is actually more consistent with the crime of treason that convening a non-binding opinion poll to evaluate public opinion on important policy issues, which is what they accuse Zelaya of doing).

Cardinal Andres Rodriguez supports the coup

The top representative of the catholic church in Honduras, Cardinal Rodriguez, gave a nationally broadcast speech late last evening, stating the church supports the coup government and doesn't recognize a coup d'etat as having taken place. Now, the coup government is calling its illegal actions a "constitutional presidential succession". Cardinal Rodriguez warned President Zelaya not to return to the country, stating that if he does, there will be a "bloodbath". He actually really said that, and in fact eerily ended his sermon by saying the word "bloodbath" (baño de sangre) with a devilish smile.

CNN continues to interview and report on the coup government as a constitutional government, calling the dictator in place "President Micheletti". CNN is also presenting the alleged "charges" against President Zelaya, as fact.

The Organization of American States (OAS) is meeting in Washington this evening to determine the final suspension of Honduras from the regional group. Despite the decision made last night by the coup government to renounce the Democratic Charter and withdraw from the organization, the OAS does not recognize that action as legitimate, since the coup government itself is not recognized as a legal, constitutional government. Nevertheless, Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza, who returned this morning from Tegucigalpa, presented his report to the permanent council of member states this evening, explaining that the coup government refuses to budge at all and understands the consequences of its actions. Canada is opposed to President Zelaya returning to Honduras on Sunday, stating that "it's too early". Well, Canada, tell that to the thousands in the streets of Honduras whose rights are being violated now for eight days. There is still a curfew imposed by the coup government and a suspension of civil rights. Independent media are still censored or closed by the coup government and there is at least one reported and confirmed assassination at the hands of military. The army is also shooting M16s at the buses bringing people to the capital from the interior of the country, impeding their arrival to participate in the mass rallies in support of President Zelaya.

The Obama administration has been silent now for several days on the events in Honduras. I guess they are all enjoying a happy 4th of July while Hondurans are repressed, beaten and persecuted by the coup government that is still receiving millions in aid from the United States. Maybe Obama/Clinton are waiting for President Zelaya to actually be killed (which could happen if he returns to the country tomorrow, since there are snipers positioned all around the international airport, apparently awaiting his arrival) in order for Washington to classify the events this week in Honduras as a "coup d'etat" and suspend all aid.

Even the far right wing governments of Colombia, Peru, Mexico and the entire European Union have withdrawn their ambassadors from Honduras and suspended all ties with the country until President Zelaya is reinstated. Only the United States continues to stand alone as the sole supporter of the coup government. The US Ambassador in Tegucigalpa, Hugo Llorens, continues to maintain meetings with the coupsters.

Postcards from the Revolution