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