U.S. accused of
double standards over military coup in Honduras
Raimundo
López
TEGUCIGALPA, August 3 (PL).—The National Front
against the Coup in Honduras today accused the U.S.
of practicing double standards in its policy on the
military coup, aimed at allowing the coup regime to
gain time and consolidate itself.
In
an unusual press conference on the public highway
and addressing thousands of teachers and professors,
the Front’s leadership affirmed that those
objectives were what was behind the behind the
mediation of Costa Rican President Oscar Arias.
Israel Salinas, general secretary of the Unified
Workers Federation (FUTH), emphasized that the Front
had been convinced of that double U.S. policy since
the coup took place.
Large numbers of people in the crowd shouted
repeatedly: "Double standards!"
Salinas added that, on the one hand, the U.S.
government is publicly stating that it recognizes
Manuel Zelaya as the only president, but on the
other, it has not described what happened on June 28
as a coup d’état.
"In the meantime, a strategy is being developed
to prolong the situation and allow the coup
perpetrators to consolidate themselves."
He stated that this is why the Front is calling
on the U.S. government to adopt concrete sanctions
and then the country can liberate itself "of these
usurpers."
In response to a question on Arias’ mediation,
Juna Barahona, general coordinator of the Front and
president of the FUTH, noted that the popular forces
have rejected dialogue with the coup leaders from
the outset.
He explained that so doing is to give legitimacy
to a group of soldiers and business people who
assaulted the state power in violation of the
Constitution and broke with the state of law.
He rejected the lobbying activities of Enrique
Iglesias, the Ibero-American secretary, undertaken
in conjunction with Arias, adding that the former is
very close to Cardinal Oscar Andrés Rodríguez
Maradiaga, one of the principal backers of the coup.
He stated that all of those delaying actions are
operating in favor of the coup perpetrators.
Because of that, it is the resistance of the
people that will lead to the defeat of the coup. "What
we don’t do, nobody else will," he affirmed.
