TFHO1: HONDURAS COUP: LOCAL PRESS WRAP-UP

UNCLAS TEGUCIGALPA 000887 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR WHA/CEN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV CASC MARR KDEM PHUM ASEC HO SUBJECT: TFHO1: HONDURAS COUP: LOCAL PRESS WRAP-UP 09/02/2009 REF: TEGUCIGALPA 867 AND OTHERS ¶1. (U) Summary. This is a round-up of local news reported in major Honduran dailies on September 2. End Summary. ¶2. (U) "La Tribuna," "El Heraldo," and "La Prensa" September 2 carry headlines reporting that Honduras will not be excluded from an Association Agreement between Central America and the EU. As reported in "La Prensa," the EU decided on September 1 that Honduras should not be left out of commercial negotiations between the EU and Central America, even though Spain had proposed excluding Honduras from the Agreement due to the political crisis. ¶3. (U) According to "El Heraldo" and "La Prensa," the IMF made $150.1 million in Special Drawing Rights available to Honduras on September 1 as part of the G-20 financial assistance strategy. "La Prensa" reports that the IMF recognizes Honduras as a member country, despite the June 28 events. "El Tiempo" and "La Prensa" note that the additional reserves will help offset an 11-13 percent loss in remittances Hondurans received in August of this year as compared to August 2008. ¶4. (U) According to "El Heraldo," Liberal party presidential candidate Elvin Santos announced his campaign strategy aims to bring together a fractured political party. Santos declared his two major challenges are unifying the party and convincing people to go to the polls and vote. Political Analyst Raul Pineda told "El Heraldo" that Hondurans who support President Zelaya's ouster and who have not voted before will surely go to the polls this November, but will vote for the National party candidate because they blame the Liberal Party for the crisis. ¶5. (U) "El Tiempo" headlines include President Zelaya's declaration that the OAS member countries will not recognize the presidential elections in Honduras. "El Heraldo" notes that Zelaya does not want Honduras to hold elections at all. According to "La Prensa," President Zelaya will discuss the best way to move forward regarding the crisis with the Secretary during their September 4 meeting. According to "El Tiempo," director of the pro-Zelaya resistance group, Rafael Alegria, declared that President Zelaya will be reinstated before September 15 2009. ¶6. (U) The four major dailies report that Micheletti has said he will do everything in his power to participate in a march against Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez organized by a civic movement called "Honduras Is Ours" and scheduled to take place on Friday September 4. ¶7. (U) "El Tiempo" and "La Tribuna" report that the Business Council of Latin America (CEAL) supports the actions of de facto President Micheletti. According to "El Tiempo," CEAL President Jorge Zablah led a delegation of Salvadoran and Panamanian businessmen to Honduras to express their support that the actions of June 28 were constitutional. ¶8. (U) "La Tribuna" and "La Prensa" report that Micheletti kicked off the annual independence parades, "fiestas patrias," in Tegucigalpa September 1 and declared his commitment to defending democracy in Honduras. (Note: September 1 is Honduran Flag Day. End note.) ¶9. (U) "El Heraldo" and "La Prensa" report that the Attorney General and the Superior Accounting Tribunal (Honduran equivalent of the GAO) are investigating a supposed confession by President Zelaya that he gave approximately USD 4.7 million in cash to the armed forces to assist in carrying out his campaign to hold a national referendum for a constituent assembly. According to the papers, Chief of Defense MG Vasquez Velasquez responded that the armed forces never received such cash, though they received legal funds transfers from the central accounting and disbursement system for their operational budget. HENSHAW