(Honduras:) Zelaya and Mitchetti Agree to Create Joint Cabinet

[Peace Patriot]

Source: AFP-France24

SUNDAY 11 OCTOBER 2009

AFP - Deposed Honduran President Manuel Zelaya and the de facto government agreed Saturday to create a joint cabinet and to ditch any amnesty for coup leaders, one of the ousted leader's negotiators said.

Both the measures however depend on Zelaya's return to the presidency, still far from certain four months into the standoff following the June 28 coup.

Juan Barahona, one of Zelaya's three top negotiators, told a rally of hundreds of the president's followers that the joint cabinet, if realized, would be composed of ministers from both governments.

He also said the Zelaya camp was against an amnesty because such a move would mean "amnesia, forgetfulness and forgiveness, and we got cannot condone the coup."

Read more: http://www.france24.com/en/20091011-zelaya-micheletti-agree-create-joint-cabinet-honduras-coup

---

The brief news article goes on to say that, "An amnesty for crimes committed in connection to the coup and formation of a national unity government were two key points of the San Jose reconciliation agenda set out in August, whose central tenent calls for Zelaya's return to office."

This (formation of a joint cabinet) is a startling development--a very big breakthrough in the crisis in Honduras--if it turns out to be solid. But there are also reports of gunshots at the Brazilian embassy--where Zelaya and over a hundred cabinet members, advisors and supporters have taken refuge since Zelaya's return to the country, and which the Honduran military has surrounded for weeks (since it became known that Zelaya was inside). And there are reports of even more draconian suppression of the media. See this thread--where L. Coyote posted the above news as a comment (comment #9) two hours ago...

---

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4098508
"Honduras de facto leader further restricts media" (Reuters)
posted by struggle4progress in LBN

---

Formation of a joint cabinet does not mean that the matter of restoring the elected president--Mel Zelaya--to his rightful office has been resolved. But it is a big development that they have agreed on anything at all--let alone a joint cabinet.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

1. Seems a bit premature...consider the source cited

Amnesty for both sides would seem to be a requirement for progress

[harmonicon]

11. ha!

"both sides" You just don't quit, do you?

[alarimer]

13. no amnesty for the illegal coup leaders

They need to go to jail and restore the rightfully elected government. THAT is the only acceptable condition.

[Arctic Dave]

2. Even if they do jail time they need sack all military officers involved with the coup.

[The abyss]

3. Peace Patriot – nice to see you out and about.

Thanks for this update.

[Peace Patriot]

10. Hi, abyss! As for the update, I may have been had by AFP. See my comment below. nt

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. This is so not situation normal that it is yet one more marker

of how far the American Empire has fallen in influence and power. Not that I mind by the way.

[xchrom]

5. hmmph. -- now isn't that interesting. nt

[Judi Lynn]

6. This seems to be a fragile area at this point, as the last chance before it's too late

to accept the original election date, only 2 1/2 months away, with the liberal candidate mangled and stomped, with broken limbs, treated to a real beatdown by the coup's state police. Not a lot of prime campaign time left, considering the free style curfews the coup leaders call at the drop of a hat. They have been known to suspend an impromptu curfew long enough to allow some coup supporters, and their employees to go out and demonstrate.

They call impromtu curfews, leaving people only enough time to make a dead run for their houses, while the state police are welcome to run in and grab them, drag them out, beat them to a pulp, throw them in jail, charge protesters with treason, and even rush into hospitals and grab people they have earlier beaten senseless, drag them out and beat them all over again.

People are NOT safe inside their own homes.

There seems to be no other English language source than Agence France-Presse with this story. Remember there's hardly ANY news source working in Honduras now other than the pro-coup supporting media. Here's what appears to be a rewrite of the same story:

Coup amnesty off the table as Honduras talks pause
By Isabel Sanchez (AFP) – 6 hours ago

~snip~
Meanwhile, the creation of a joint cabinet and punishment of coup leaders remain dependent on Zelaya's return to the presidency, still far from certain four months into the standoff that emerged from the coup.

Union leader Juan Barahona, one of Zelaya's top three negotiators, told a rally of hundreds of the president's followers that the joint cabinet, if indeed formed, would be made up of ministers from both governments.

The Zelaya camp, he added, opposed amnesty because such a move would mean "amnesia, forgetfulness and forgiveness, and we cannot condone the coup.

"If after all of this, they say that there is not going to be reinstatement (of Zelaya), what difference does it make if we made progress on anything else?" quipped Barahona.

"Tuesday, we are going to get at that key point in detail. If on October 15 we do not have a deal, the talks will have failed."

More:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gNEMHvldbbwvYXTDUcWmhHXyB3gg

[excess_3]

7. when does Mr Z's term expire? .nt

[Judi Lynn]

8. Somewhere at the end of January next year. n/t

[Peace Patriot]

9. I'm beginning to wonder if some editor told a cub reporter at AFP: write a story that makes the

junta in Honduras look benign, cooperative, reasonable, ready to compromise; twist the facts if you have to; squeeze them, milk them, turn them upside down; but make it positive on the junta; we want "upbeat," we want an aura of legitimacy; orders from headquarters; be creative.

So, cub reporter, having written many an article with this purpose for her school newspaper at her exclusive girls' school in Switzerland--articles that fawn over the richest girls in the school, and tell how they work as volunteers for their multi-billionaire daddies' charities and how well they treat their ponies--puts her nose to the grindstone and researches everything, and comes up with how benign, cooperative, reasonable and ready to compromise the junta is, to agree that, if President Zelaya will 'renounce his claim to the crown', and if he will endorse coup-rigged elections, and if he agrees to amnesty all around (the junta will drop their ridiculous charges against him, and he will agree not to pursue any charges against the junta for murdering leftists, beating up, jailing and torturing political prisoners, destroying opposition media and ripping up the Constitution), and if he agrees not to pursue the overwhelming desire of the people of Honduras for fundamental reform (a constitutional convention), and if he will never again try to raise the minimum wage or lower the price of bus tickets for the poor, and if he will renounce Venezuela and all its works (universal free health care, etc.), then they will agree, a) not to kill him, and, b) to let some of his cabinet members hold some of the lesser positions in a "joint cabinet" run by one of their frontmen.

Thus: "Zelaya and Mitchetti Agree to Create Joint Cabinet." Notice that it is not a signed article. And all is sweetness and light in Honduras. The junta is being reasonable. It's just that communist Zelaya holding things up, insisting that he got elected or something, and must be restored to office, and that "amnesty" is out for torturing and killing "terrorists."

Cub reporter also knows to ignore reports (and photos) of the military's sniper tower outside the Brazilian embassy, the brutal clampdowns on TV/radio broadcasters who oppose the coup, the suspension of the Constitution and all civil rights which has not been lifted, the impossibility of a fair election, the broken bones of one of the leftist candidates beaten up by the junta police, and the stage of siege at the embassy, whereby Zelaya and his cabinet are living many "Zen moments" with the Honduran military peering in the windows and following their every movement, and Zelaya & co. never knowing if this moment will be their last. Such kind negotiators the juntaists are, to provide these lessons in mortality!

Well, we'll see if this "joint cabinet" business turns out to be anything. AFP is as bad as the Miami Hairball at times, on Latin American issues.

[Braulio]

12. Joint Cabinet Ha ha

I bet they'll give Zelaya's guys the health ministry, the education ministry, and the agricultural ministry. Elections coming in less than 7 weeks.

[Judi Lynn]

14. AFP has been publishing some very unexpectedly anti-democratic articles lately.

They are completely hard to comprehend. They seem very slanted in support of oligarchy in many of their Latin American articles.