Hondurian Agreement Sets Precedents

By Noquel A. Matos

Happy crowds in Tegucigalpa celebrated the signing of an agreement between Honduras De Facto government and ousted President Manuel Zelaya this past November 29th that promised the restitution of the overthrown president. The agreement negotiated by U.S officials, after 4 months of political stalemate, ensures Zelaya’s return to power if congress approves the agreement.

While the deal it’s a “historic agreement” as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stated, it should not be taken as a call for victory.

The congress that is to decide whether Zelaya returns to power or not, it’s the same congress that decided to strip him of his presidential powers four months ago. This is not to mention that the president of congress, Jose Alfedo Saavedra, it’s government De Facto acting president Roberto Micheletti’s personal friend.

Some speculate, however, that the fact that Zelaya would only be in power for 3 months if re-instituted and would not be able to pose as a candidate for the next presidential elections, just as Roberto Micheletti, would make Congress approve the deal to reinstate legality to the country. Nevertheless, this is yet to be seen and it is not clear when Congress will be carrying out the process.

“At this time, nobody, absolutely nobody can impose deadlines or terms on Congress,” President of Congress Saavedra stated in the wake of the events.

With the future’s uncertainty as our premise we can’t be sure of what to expect to develop in Honduras, however we can be sure to expect this agreement to hold a very special place in Western Hemisphere Political History. The Honduran coup was the first coup of the post-Cold War era and it seems it will be the first violence-free coup in Latin American history. Also, this agreement will remain a testament TO America’s progressive leadership in a New World Order.