“We are working on diagnosing the security and justice situation in Honduras, and in upcoming weeks we will submit to the Government a proposal to strengthen the security system,” said Ambassador Blackwell.

During his visit, the OAS representative held meetings with Foreign Minister Arturo Corrales, with the Minister of Security, Pompeyo Bonilla, and with the Rector of the Autonomous University of Honduras (UNAH), Julieta Castellanos, who is playing an outstanding role in reforming the security policies of her country.

Before Ambassador Blackwell’s visit, a group of experts from the OAS Secretariat for Multidimensional Security undertook a mission to evaluate the national citizen security system of Honduras. Towards that goal, the group interviewed hundreds of public officials and visited police headquarters, prisons and offices of the Judicial System in various cities of the country.

“Not only do we make a diagnosis of the work of police but also of prosecuting attorneys and of the entire system and the way they work together, because you can have the best police in the world but if there is no prosecutor’s office, then you have problems,” added the head of the OAS Secretariat for Multidimensional Security.

In addition to visiting Honduras, Ambassador Blackwell visited and met with government authorities of the following countries: Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Belize, and towards the end of the week he plans to visit El Salvador.

Source: Organization of American States
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This initiative, which is currently being implemented in various countries of the region, forms part of the efforts outlined by the Secretary General of the OAS, José Miguel Insulza, and serves to exemplify the Organization as a strategic actor in the fight against crime.

The machine was presented during a ceremony held at the Cuartel de Casamata of the Security Secretariat, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and was attended by Secretary of State for Security, Pompey Bonilla, and Commissioner General of Police, Jose Ricardo Ramirez.

The donation—done by the United States Government—was made in the framework of the project, “Promoting Firearms Marking in Latin America and the Caribbean,” which supports the Inter-American Convention against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives, and Other Related Materials (CIFTA) and seeks to strengthen national capabilities in matters of firearms marking.

Together with the marking machine, the Government of Honduras also received a computer to facilitate the process of maintaining marked firearms data. In addition, the Public Security Department of the OAS is scheduled to conduct a training workshop with ten police officials, focusing on the use of firearms marking equipment.

As its primary goal, the OAS seeks to strengthen the national capabilities of its Member States to respond, in an effective and efficient manner, to the increasing levels of crime and violence caused by illicit trafficking in firearms. In this regard, the OAS will cooperate with the countries of the region so that all of its Member States may as quickly as possible establish policies and legislation to mark firearms at the time of manufacture and/or import.

Source: Organization of American States
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The resolution titled, “Participation of Honduras in the Organization of American States,” was approved by a vote of 32 in favor, one against, Ecuador being the only country that opposed the Central American country’s reentry.

The text of the approved Resolution makes reference to Article 22 of the Inter-American Democratic Charter, which establishes that, once the situation behind a Member State’s suspension has been overcome, the suspension may be lifted. Furthermore, it highlights the conviction of the member countries that “democracy is one of our region’s most valued accomplishments and that the peaceful transfer of power through constitutional means and in strict compliance with the constitutional rules of each of our states is the product of a continuous and irreversible process.”

The Resolution cites the Agreement for National Reconciliation and the Consolidation of the Democratic System in the Republic of Honduras signed in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, last May 22, and it resolves to “lift the suspension, with immediate effect, of the right of the State of Honduras to participate in the Organization of American States.”

Once the Resolution was approved to reintegrate Honduras to the bosom of the Organization, the Assembly was joined by the delegation of Honduras, integrated by the country’s Foreign Minister, Mario Canahuati; the Republic’s Vice President, María Antonieta Guillén de Bográn; the Minister of Planning and Development, Arturo Corrales; and the Ambassador of Honduras to the United States, Jorge Ramón Hernández Alcerro. Afterwards, the representatives of the member countries and foreign ministers who participated in the session offered welcoming words to Honduras.

The Vice President of Honduras, María Antonieta Guillén de Bográn, addressed the General Assembly on behalf of the Government of President Porfirio Lobo and asserted that “the moment for the healing of wounds has arrived,” emphasizing that this chapter has left her country stronger than before. “As a people and as a nation the difficulties have not discouraged us, and little by little we have overcome the setbacks. Our commitment and firm determination to move forward has been greater than any adversity.”

The Honduran Vice President took the opportunity to thank the support of the governments and people who accompanied the recent electoral process in that country and “who showed their solidarity with the new Honduran government, at a time in which we faced political challenges and an internal economic crisis.” She also expressed her government’s wish “that no country in the Americas go through a similar ordeal, that no sister country may suffer the moral, political and economic costs of a situation like the one we lived through,” and she concluded her speech by asserting that “today we close this ill-fated chapter of our history to open a new, promissory one. We turn the page and see our future with faith and optimism.”

At the end of the Assembly, Secretary General José Miguel Insulza delivered a speech in which he highlighted the good will of the countries in reaching this agreement. “All of this has been possible thanks to the unity and perseverance we have shown through these 23 months in which we never gave up,” he said, and asserted that in the decision-making process regarding Honduras “very important principles were at risk and those principles are the ones that have directed our activity throughout all these months.” In this sense, he recalled the significance of the Inter-American Democratic Charter and its application.

The head of the hemispheric Organization also said that as an institution “everything we have done makes us proud” and cited the principles of non-intervention. “In a continent of sovereign States, any rupture in that sovereignty causes irreparable damage that lasts for a long time.” He further recalled and insisted that “we ought to be proud because we have followed our own principles, and we have done what we needed to do, knowing that we could cause pain and problems but respecting the principles upon which this organization was founded.”

At the end of his speech, the Secretary General said that in his opinion the Inter-American Democratic Charter “as a democratic program of the Americas is complete, it does not need to be modified, but I believe we can apply it much better and that is what we hope to devote ourselves to in the next months,” and he concluded by expressing satisfaction with the results of the meeting.

The State of Honduras had been suspended from participating in the OAS since July 5, 2009, as a consequence of the coup d’état that ousted then-President of the Republic José Manuel Zelaya.

Source: Organization of American States

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“Central America, especially Guatemala, has been particularly hard hit by El Nino this season. Thanks to our presence in Nicaragua, we have been able to quickly appraise the situation in the region and to rapidly intervene to assist the most vulnerable. This funding will enable the 20,000 beneficiaries to survive the period between the depletion of their reserves and the next harvest” explained Karel De Gucht, Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid.

The funding will provide food assistance, the distribution of seeds, food-for-work programs, the improvement of water distribution and stocking systems, as well as a system of surveillance for food security. Around 20,000 of the most vulnerable people in the region, whose survival is threatened by the recent climatic events, will benefit from this aid.

Source: europa.eu

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The end of economic crisis?

Certainly something that everybody will like to see in 2010 is an end to the powerful economic crisis that is reaping havoc on the international economy. Unfortunately 2010 is a decisive year in economy but with a double potential: to show the end of recession or to provoke another catastrophic fall. The economic dates are far away from a promising future. The US economy still has to face the consequence of a real estate market that is suffocated by offers but also in lingering demand because of the strict policy applied by banks. Also the financial sector proved its vulnerability to external pressure when the so called Dubai World bubble burst in November 2009, the New York Stock Exchange suffered a fall of 8 %. This vulnerability to foreign markets will still be a major factor influencing US economic recovery. Crushing stock markets in Asia or Middle East will sure happen in 2010 as the international banking system is slow in offering collateral and credit to pharaoh type projects that where started before the crisis and need financing to be completed. These big projects are a double edged sword, if they are not completed investor confidence will fall and as a result we will see depreciating values of stacks and bankruptcy if they are completed they will find a market already saturated and they might collapse.

A ghost is troubling the continent: Unemployment.

We all remember K. Marx beginning of Capital: a ghost is wondering the continent: communism. Well now another ghost is showing its ugly face from New York to London: unemployment. The latest data from the United States are crippling any hope of recovery, with 85.000 jobs lost in December the economy of US is in severe shape and with more than 600.000 people relinquishing any hope for finding a new job the prospects seem dim. In Europe the situation is even greyer, the German Federal Government admitted in November that the figures showing the German economy out of recession are exaggerated, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia face national bankruptcy and Spain, Italy, Ireland are following closely and with national bankruptcy looming over Romania, Hungary and Bulgaria it is still clear that Europe’s economy is continuing its downfall rapidly.

China and India: how long the miracle can last?

This year the only good news from the world economy came from India and China that relied on a huge internal market (more than 1 billon each) to continue to grow during the down fall year. But this maneuver can not be sustained for 2010 economists predict. There are two main reasons: the growth of internal market demand can only be sustained by an increase in wages that will affect both China and India’s competitiveness in external markets. The second reason is that the internal market is not producing hard currency (dollars or Euros) that both India and China need for their developing economy but they only acquired more of their one currency with no value on international market. China and India’s continuous grow could only be sustained by cutting their economy from international market and this will be another catastrophe for the international economy.

In conclusion 2010 will be decisive in shaping the way for a recovery or for another crisis.

Pakistan: between civilian rule and military intervention.

Pakistan’s situation is dire: the economy fell by 20% percent, unemployment is huge (more then 18%) and the banking system is showing sign of collapse. With the army engaged in frontier battles at its border with Afghanistan and with a continuous line of interior attacks the last things Pakistan needs is a political crisis. But this is exactly what 2010 will bring.  The embattled president Ali Zardari was forced to relinquish nuclear arms control to his prime minister and also to face corruption charges that could lead to his downfall. The only civilian personality that could take his place is former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. But we must not forget that Mr. Sharif was deposed in a bloodless coup d’état in 1996 by the military and replaced with General Perwez Musharaf. Bringing him back to power will just mean that the history will be re-write. In any case if there will not be a political solution to Pakistan’s economic and political crisis the military will step in and this time with the accord of Washington that is eager to see stability at the front door of Pakistan at any cost in order to defeat the insurgency in Afghanistan. A general that will promise Washington tranquility at the southern border of Afghanistan will be acclaimed just as Perwez Musharaf was in 2001 after September attacks.

Latin America.

2010 also witnessed another tension flaring up: in Honduras a coup d’état mounted by the military in convergence with right wing politicians toppled the legitimate president: Manuel Zelaya, crushed any civilian resistance and despite international condemnation consolidated there regime in illegal elections. This became a study case in the United States and the region where many want to see left wing politicians as shuch Evo Morales, Hugo Chavez and Rafael Correa overthrown. The Honduras success receipt will be surely repeated in another Latin America country this year. The question is where?

In Bolivia where a so called independent state in the center of the country has elected a parliament and a government and tries to overthrown Evo Morales in a civilian and military coup ? Or in Venezuela where Hugo Chavez is now under Columbian army pressure, irregular militia that crossed the border from Columbia to attack Venezuelan objectives on a daily bases and where United States just opened up military bases?

Finally Rafael Correa of Ecuador is also on the black list; Ecuadorian military trained and grown by United States is also showing sign that could change lines. Where will be the next CIA backed revolution in Latin America?   Newsweek citing informed sources from CIA announced that Venezuela is the prime candidate for a ‘freedom’ operation.

China`s decision.

2010 will also be a decisive year for China that will be presented in the Security Council with a sanctions proposal for Iran and Sudan. Both countries are strong allies of China, suppliers with gas and oil for increasing Chinese demands and both countries have a tense relationship with the United States. China will have to decide; to give the go ahead to future sanctions could clear the road for war. Everybody remembers in the Security Council, the 2002 resolution against Iraq that threatened the Baghdad regime with serious consequences if they don’t comply. United States decided that serious consequences could mean war and launched the attack on Iraq. A similar resolution today imposed on Tehran will be just a final step to war. China seemed to be aware of this and will have to choose between open opposition to the United States agenda or temporary acceptance of US demands. The present strategy of China of temporization could no longer work in 2010.

This are just of the few decision that international policy and market decision makers will be confronted in this decisive year between peace and war, crisis or recovery , coup d’état or liberty. The answer will be decided in the next 12 month. We will live with the consequence.

by  Professor Anton Caragea PhD, MA, FINS – European Council on International Relations

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“The Permanent Council denounces and strongly condemns the hostile action by the de facto regime against the embassy of Brazil in Tegucigalpa and the harassment of its occupants through deliberate actions that affect them physically and psychologically and violate their human rights.

“The Permanent Council calls on the de facto regime to put an immediate end to these actions, to respect the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and international instruments on human rights, and to withdraw forthwith all repressive forces from the areas surrounding the Embassy of Brazil, without neglecting the due security of the Mission.

“The Permanent Council appeals for guarantees for the right to life, integrity, and security of President José Manuel Zelaya Rosales and of all persons in and around the Embassy of Brazil, as well as for the protection of their dignity, and it urges the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to follow up on this situation.

“The Permanent Council issues a strong appeal for continuation of the dialogue already well under way in Honduras, under the terms of the proposal of the San José Agreement, without any attempt to open topics other than those contained in said proposal.”

The Honduran authorities have effectively placed the embassy under siege since the dramatic return of ousted President Manuel Zelaya in September.

Source: OAS

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“In the first few days,” Insulza said, “consensus was achieved in most topics, and even last week a possible agreement could be glimpsed around the most controversial subject, the return of President Zelaya, in a text that adhered to constitutional prerogatives.”

“That progress had an undoubtedly positive effect on Honduran public opinion, which longs for a prompt solution to the political problems that assail the country. Other positive events, such as the repeal of an emergency decree and the return to the air of Radio Globo, were part of this favorable climate.”

“Nevertheless, in recent days there have been some negative events that we hope will be overcome: during the process of dialogue, one of the parties involved offered a proposal that touches on a subject not part of the San Jose Accord, hoping to force a legitimization of what happened on June 28, 2009. This claim makes it unfeasible for the dialogue to produce a positive result,” Insulza declared.

Insulza also reiterated his concern for the growing harassment to which the Brazilian Embassy in Tegucigalpa has been submitted, and which has intensified in the last few days particularly during the night hours.

Notwithstanding, the Secretary General reaffirmed his full commitment to and continuing support of the process of dialogue that, he said, “is the only road to achieve peace and harmony among Hondurans,” and expressed his wishes for the removal of paragraphs from the dialogue that are unconducive and for the end of harassment to the Brazilian Embassy.

Source: OAS

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The Chair of the Permanent Council called for “respect for Human Rights of all Honduran citizens, and for full guarantees for the security of the Honduran leader and the Diplomatic Representation of Brazil in Honduras.”

Oyarce reiterated the claim made by the OAS Permanent Council to the de facto authorities and to all the sectors of the Honduran society to “act with prudence and responsibility, avoiding acts that may generate violence and hinder the national reconciliation that the Honduran people and the whole Hemispheric are yearning for.”

The Chilean diplomat formulated a “new call for peaceful dialogue that leads to a prompt restoration of the constitutional order and the return of President José Manuel Zelaya to office.”

The Head of the Permanent Council also expressed his “confidence that the OAS Secretary General, José Miguel Insulza, will be able to contribute to facilitate this process, with the full support from the international community.”

Source: OAS

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Secretary General Insulza also confirmed that the organization remains committed to fulfilling the agreement to send a Commission integrated by several Ministers of Foreign Relations of the region and Insulza himself to visit Tegucigalpa to find, through dialogue, a consensus around the San José Accord.

The head of the OAS stressed that, according to its rules and norms, it is the organization itself that decides on the composition of its delegations. “The OAS Secretary General has a mandate from the General Assembly to develop all necessary initiatives. Any change in that sense should require a new General Assembly.”

In this case, the OAS Special General Assembly on July 4, 2009 urged the Secretary General “together with duly designated representatives of various countries, to reinforce all diplomatic initiatives and to promote other initiatives” to find a solution to the crisis.

The OAS Secretary General highlighted that he and the Foreign Ministers involved will set a date for the visit. “The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights starts a very important visit to Honduras next Monday, and we will probably travel afterwards, perhaps towards the end of that week or the beginning of the following,” said Insulza at a press conference held at the OAS Headquarters in Washington, DC, after attending a private meeting of the OAS Permanent Council.

Secretary General Insulza also expressed his gratitude to the leaders of North America (Canada, Mexico and the United States) and UNASUR (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Perú, Suriname, Uruguay y Venezuela) for the support offered to the OAS in their recent meetings.

“It is very important to be grateful for the support given by both meetings in a very explicit and clear manner to the OAS and to its duties in the Honduran crisis.”

Source: OAS

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“Now it is my duty to form the Committee. To look for the right names, talk to the ministers, look for balance, even the right balance as far as the dates are concerned because we’re talking about very busy people. We’re going to announce everything by Friday. But the agreement to proceed already exists, as well as the agreement to make the necessary contacts so that the Committee may travel in good standing to Honduras,” said the Secretary General following a private extraordinary meeting of the Permanent Council.

“This initiative does not represent a change but the continuation of what has been carried out, so I hope the Committee will be well received and that we will be able to move forward,” added the head of the hemisphere’s top political body.

Secretary General Insulza expressed hope that the de facto government of Honduras will concede the necessary guarantees so that the Committee of Foreign Ministers may travel to the Central American nation early next week.

Finally, and after emphasizing that the formation of the Committee complements the mediating efforts of the President of Costa Rica, Insulza said the OAS will continue working “all the time that is needed to achieve the re-establishment of democracy” in Honduras.

Source: OAS

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Mr. Insulza reported about the conversations held Monday and Tuesday with the President of Costa Rica, Oscar Arias, to examine the possibility of him playing a mediator role looking for a way out of the situation created when the Honduran Head of State was expelled from his country on Sunday, June 28. President Arias accepted Monday the role if and when it was agreed by all parts and he could count on the OAS full support.

Secretary General Insulza said that, according to him, there could be no better mediator than the Nobel Prize winner and current president of the Central American Integration System (SICA), a person widely respected and admired for his democratic and transparent past, and remembered for his crucial role in the ending of the Central American conflict.

All members of the Permanent Council appreciated this new development, congratulated the OAS Secretary General on his initiatives and expressed their hope that President Arias, with the full support of the OAS, will reach a successful solution.

Source: OAS

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In a resolution adopted by acclamation by all Member States at the headquarters of the organization in Washington, DC, the Special General Assembly instructed the OAS Secretary General, José Miguel Insulza, “to reinforce all diplomatic initiatives and to promote other initiatives for the restoration of democracy and the rule of law in the Republic of Honduras and the reinstatement of President José Manuel Zelaya Rosales.”

“No such initiative will imply recognition of the regime that emerged from this interruption of the constitutional order,” specifies the resolution, that invoked for the first time Article 21 of the Inter-American Democratic Charter

The document also encourages “the Member States and international organizations to review their relations with the Republic of Honduras during the period of the diplomatic initiatives.” It also reaffirms that Honduras “must continue to fulfill its obligations as a member of the Organization, in particular with regard to human rights”, and urges “the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to continue to take all necessary measures to protect and defend human rights and fundamental freedoms in Honduras.”

The Special General Assembly was attended by the President of Argentina, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, the President of Paraguay, Fernando Lugo, y President Zelaya, who announced his intention to travel back to Honduras.

In his speech to the plenary session, President Zelaya highlighted that “this is a very peculiar moment in the history of the Americas.” After explaining the circumstances surrounding of the coup d’Etat, President Zelaya stressed that “the Honduran people have lived already six days of repression. The people are suffering.” The Honduran leader praised the attitude of the OAS and its Member States: “You, by raising your voice, are giving hope to the Americas, and you are giving hope to the people of Honduras.”

The President of Argentina said that the detention and expulsion of President Zelaya from his country were the equivalent of “kidnapping the democratic restoration in Latin America”. After remembering the negative effects of several past coups in the continent, President Fernández de Kirchner expressed her support for President Zelaya and her wish that he be restored to power as an “act of justice to the people of Honduras and of unconditional respect of Human Rights.”

President Lugo mentioned that all countries in the Americas feel for the current suffering of Honduras and particularly of President Zelaya. “Forced exile is one of the greatest punishments”, he said. The Paraguayan leader said the coup was a “blow to the democratic conscience of the Continent”, and also expressed his support for President Zelaya addressing him directly: “President Zelaya, we have known and we have started to love your people, and also the manner, the style of your government.”

The General Assembly reached an agreement after listening to the report of Secretary General Insulza regarding the initiatives undertaken in the 72 previous hours trying to restore democracy, the Rule of Law and President Zelaya in power, as mandated by the resolution adopted by the same Special General Assembly on Wednesday.

Insulza described his conversations with members of the judicial and legislative Powers in Honduras, as well as political, business and social sectors. His initiatives included a visit to Honduras, where the Secretary General saw “an atmosphere of extreme tension.“

The head of the OAS explained that the attitude of the de facto regime was “extremely firm” and “inflexible,” and therefore he said that “there seems to be no alternative” but to suspend Honduras membership to the organization.

The Secretary General specified that it “should be clear that this is not an action against Honduras or against its people, but rather a means of pressure against the de facto government.”

After the resolution was adopted, the Secretary General expressed his satisfaction for “the success achieved today, because a historic resolution such as this one that we have adopted unanimously has important repercussions not only for the Honduran people and its legitimate government, but also for the life of this organization.”

Also took the floor during the Assembly the representatives of Jamaica (on behalf of CARICOM), Costa Rica, United States, Venezuela, El Salvador, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Mexico, Guatemala, Panamá, Chile, Peru, Uruguay, Bolivia, Brazil and Canada.

Source: OAS

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During his less than 24-hour stay, Secretary General Insulza will notify the Honduran stakeholders of the terms of the resolution adopted by the OAS Special General Assembly on Tuesday, June 30.

The OAS Secretary General has undertaken since Wednesday intense conversations with the aforementioned sectors, as well as Ministers of Foreign Relations of OAS Member States, aiming at the normalization of the situation within Honduras, altered since the coup d’Etat Sunday that ousted constitutional President José Manuel Zelaya..

Representatives from all Member States instructed Secretary General Insulza to conduct “diplomatic initiatives aimed at restoring democracy and the rule of law and the reinstatement of President Jose Manuel Zelaya Rosales, pursuant to Article 20 of the Inter-American Democratic Charter and report to the Special General Assembly on the results of the initiatives.”

“Should these (initiatives) prove unsuccessful within 72 hours”, the resolution says, “the Special General Assembly shall forthwith invoke Article 21 of the Inter-American Democratic Charter to suspend Honduras’ membership.”

Mr. Insulza will travel to Honduras from Guyana, where he attended Thursday the Summit of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). The OAS Secretary General will use a plane provided by the Brazilian Government.

Source: OAS

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Ambassador Ramdin made the statement as he addressed the closing session of an international conference on “The Structural Causes of Violence in Central Americas: A Holistic Approach.” The OAS official spoke alongside Honduras President José Manuel Zelaya Rosales and Secretary General of the Central American Integration System (SICA), Aníbal Quiñonez Abarca. Honduran Foreign Minister Ángel Edmundo Orellana Mercado and former Guatemalan President Vinicio Cerezo were also among the more than 250 participants—high-level government officials and representatives of the diplomatic community as well as International and regional organizations among them.

“Public security is beyond question a major concern not only for SICA member countries but for the Americas as a whole,” Ambassador Ramdin said. He noted that all of our societies and citizens’ quality of life are affected by violence and insecurity, which also affect democracy and, ultimately, development.

He said that beyond personal security and property security, the modern concept of security recognizes that insecurity has external and internal as well as structural causes and that, based on current experience, certain causes are related to organized crime and other socio-economic phenomena. “We must therefore combat insecurity through ongoing, steadfast attention,” he added.

Ambassador Ramdin stressed, in addition, the need for a political and conceptual framework with prevention incorporated as a basis for security strategies. “We need to closely examine the impact of security on development,” he suggested. “We must devise a holistic approach to crime, one that embraces concepts such as inclusion, social capital and social cohesion. We must also formally establish coordination mechanisms,” Ambassador Ramdin said.

He expressed the view that recommendations arising from this Honduras meeting will be important input for the first meeting of public security ministers, slated for Mexico next week.

Noting as well that the two-day Tegucigalpa conference has broadly achieved its objective of promoting a holistic approach to the problem of violence and its causes, Ramdin pointed to OAS security initiatives to underscore the importance of an integral approach that embraces a variety of dimensions to the problem. The OAS promotes peace, democracy and integral development as a “virtuous triangle” through a several initiatives and instruments at its disposal, explained Ramdin.

On the margins of the international conference in Honduras, the OAS Assistant Secretary General also met with the Governor of the Mexican State of Chiapas, Juan Sabines Guerrero, who briefed him on the security challenges faced by Chiapas.

Source: OAS

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“Today, we subscribe to the ALBA, to culture and to dignity, to make Hondurans a free people,” declared Honduran President Manuel Zelaya, an agricultural businessman from the center-left Liberal Party, in Tegucigalpa Monday, during the official ceremony for Honduras’s joining the trade group.

“Honduras and the Honduran people do not have to ask permission of any imperialism to join the ALBA,” Zelaya emphasized, representing a policy shift for the nation that was a staunch ally of the United States during the Cold War and whose primary trading partner is the U.S.

Addressing the crowd of 50,000 unionists, small farmers, Liberal Party officials, businesspersons, indigenous and women’s groups in Tegucigalpa, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez said Venezuela would guarantee cheap oil to Honduras for “at least 100 years.”

Chávez also announced that ALBA countries have pledged to donate 100 tractors to Honduras, the third poorest country in the hemisphere, to boost food production and combat the world food crisis. “Honduran producers, prepare yourselves to increase national production,” Chávez declared.

Zelaya has endured fierce criticism from opponents of Venezuela’s efforts to construct alternatives to free trade agreements dominated by the United States.

Chávez said Hondurans who oppose ALBA are “country sellouts, just like the country sellouts everywhere else.”

“I did not come here to meddle in internal affairs, but I am just reflecting, and I cannot explain how a Honduran could be against Honduras joining the ALBA, the path of development, the path of integration,” Chávez told the crowd.

Patricia Isabel Rodas, the head of the central committee of the Honduran Liberal Party, said the ALBA “is the first summit in Honduras and perhaps in the region where the witnesses are not only the top political leaders but also different sectors of the people, who not only endorse the ALBA but also feel that an old historical debt is being paid.”

President Zelaya told Reuters that the lack of support from international financial institutions led him to sign the agreements with Venezuela.

“I have been looking for projects with the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, Europe, and I have found very prudent, moderated responses,” Zelaya said. “They do not have emergency funds and this obligates us to move toward new forms of finance like the ALBA.”

“The war between communists and rightists already ended,” Zelaya added. Even so, the president denounced the “disinformation campaign” by major news outlets that “offer themselves to represent those responsible for the poverty.”

Since the trade group formed in 2004, ALBA countries have signed agreements to build joint factories, form a joint bank and emergency food fund, and exchange cheap Venezuelan oil for food, housing, and educational investments.

According to President Chávez, trade between Cuba and Venezuela has increased from $200 million per year to $6.5 billion per year through the ALBA, with a large part of the investments going to a joint oil refinery.

Leaders of four ALBA member countries attended the Honduran ceremony: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, Bolivian President Evo Morales, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, and Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage. Dominica is also a member of ALBA.

by James Suggett

Originally posted and written for venezuelanalysis.com

This post is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

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