The Obama administration joined governments around the world in condemning the coup, and it cut off some aid to bolster demands that Mr. Zelaya be returned to power. The United States has also supported a compromise offered by President Óscar Arias of Costa Rica, who is mediating the dispute, that would permit Mr. Zelaya to complete his term with reduced powers.
However, in the letter to Senator Lugar on Wednesday, the State Department seemed to distance itself from Mr. Zelaya, criticizing his “insistence on taking provocative actions” that contributed to the crisis and saying that the administration’s policy “is not based on supporting any politician or individual.”
The letter angered Latin American leaders, who were already critical of what they considered a weak response by the United States. The United States has not withdrawn its ambassador and has avoided stronger economic sanctions, saying it was concerned about destabilizing the third poorest country in the hemisphere.
President Obama told reporters on Friday that he continued to support the reinstatement of Mr. Zelaya, but that the United States would not act unilaterally, Reuters reported. “I can’t press a button and suddenly reinstate Mr. Zelaya,” Mr. Obama said, the news agency reported. In Tegucigalpa, the Honduran capital, however, the State Department’s letter was celebrated by the de facto government as a sign that it was winning a battle of wills within the administration.
On a related note Chavez is being an even greater thug then ever.
Via Hillary, they are throwing Mel the Loser under the bus, LOL
ReplyDelete