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

[Peace Patriot]

I just posted the following in LBN...

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Honduras: Zelaya and Mitchetti Agree to Joint Cabinet

Edited on Sat Oct-10-09 07:58 PM by 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."

(MORE)

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

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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...

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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

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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.

[Judi Lynn]

1. I haven't been able to find any other English source with this story,

only Agence France-Presse. It's important to remember, NO ONE's getting news out of there with any regularity since only the pro-coup sources are allowed to function freely.

Here's the same story, re-written and published a little after the original:

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

[Peace Patriot]

2. See my comment (no. 9) at my OP of this in LBN.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4098696

I think I have been had by AFP. They got me!

[flamingdem]

3. What's the story with AFP? nt

[rabs]

4. You can trash this AFP report

Have been listening to Globo tonight and no matter what the negotiators from both sides have said up to now, it will not matter one iota if Point 1 is not agreed upon by Wednesday of this week.

Point 1 is the unconditional restitution of Zelaya to the presidency. Period.

The negotiators took today off because it was Sunday. They will take tomorrow off tomorrow (Monday) because of the Hispanic holiday. They will resume negotiations on Tuesday and Wednesday. If no accord is reached by Wednesday on Point 1, the talks are off.

Resistance Front leader Juan Barahona just said on Globo that the golpistas will not be allowed to paste election propaganda anywhere in the country and the resistance will do all in its power to block the elections.

Fyi in the next few days the armed forces will be taking orders from the Supreme Electoral Commission to prepare for the Nov. 29 vote. Schools have been let out early, all students were passed to the next grade, and the school buildings will be used for setting up ballot boxes.

You probably saw on Friday that the golpistas decreed that the airwaves are now a "national security" matter. That means Globo and Ch. 36 will be off the air for an indefinite period.

Last night on Globo chat there was a lot of speculation that the golpista military goons are planning to tunnel into the Braz. Embassy. Rumors tonight on chat say it could now be on Wednesday night when/if the negotiations collapse. I don't put to much credence in any chat rooms, but one can never know.

On a lighter note, an example of instant Honduran humor: Know why the golpista military have set up those hydraulic platforms outside the Brazilian embassy? Because the military gorillas are too stupid to climb trees.

Anyway, Wednesday of this week will be the next crucial day.

[EFerrari]

5. LOL. Good one.

:)

[Judi Lynn]

6. Thanks for your Globo updates. n/t

[Peace Patriot]

7. I tend to doubt the tunneling report. It would be as much a violation of Brazilian sovereignty

as if they went in the front door. And they have been very unwilling to mess with Lula da Silva up to this point.

If they won't reinstate Zelaya, and the talks collapse, what I would expect is that Micheletti will just try to ignore Zelaya. He has said something like that ('Let him stay in the embassy forever...'), although Micheletti & cabal do strike me as increasingly desperate, so who knows what they will do?

I recall, too--some weeks ago--some general saying that the military will not permit a boycott of the election. I was wondering about that. Are Hondurans required to vote (as some countries do)? If not, how would the military oppose a boycott? And if so, what do they intend to do--drag people out of their houses to the polling place? Arrest non-voters? Arrest the whole country?

I read at NarcoNews one strategy being discussed at a grass roots meeting somewhere. They were talking about people being fearful of getting on a government list for non-voting (and then later getting targeted), so what they were thinking was that those who feared this would go to the polling place and invalidate their ballot as they voted (say by voting for two candidates), and this would be one widespread form of protest, possibly announced. BUT, why would the military respect the privacy of the voting booth? They don't respect anything else. So they would probably just stand over the voters and bully them, or beat them up and arrest them if you don't vote properly. Anyway, who is ever going to SEE those ballots?

Honestly, this is beginning to look like a vote arranged by Josef Stalin. Enforced voting. Thug democracy. Then, hey, 100% turnout, 100% for rightwing candidates. See? We're democratic here. Heh-heh.