Running Out the Clock: OAS – Micheletti Meeting Could Have Been Done by Conference Call, Weeks Ago

Let’s step outside of the Honduras charade that the US and the golpistas would like to lose us in and take a look at what yesterday’s OAS meeting with Micheletti means.  Substantively, nothing.  Strategically, another brilliant delay tactic.

The outcome of yesterday’s meeting in Tegucigalpa was known the minute Micheletti left San Jose, Costa Rica, almost six weeks ago after saying “Hell No!” to the Accord.  And this was not Micheletti’s first “Hell No!”  He has maintained a consistent mantra in this regard.

It’s beginning to feel a bit like expert ball handling.  Early on, when Clinton observed that certain members of the OAS (Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Nicaragua) were about to have a distinct influence over President Zelaya’s return to power, she fakes and then passes the the ball to the duplicitous president of Costa Rica, Oscar Arias. Arias’ job is to mediate a negotiation which somehow morphed into two equal sides.

The San Jose meetings took several agonizing weeks when the first “Hell No!” from Micheletti, uttered on the first day, should have been sufficient.  But, as we all know, that negotiation went nowhere, but did eat up lots of time.

Then, a mysterious combination of Clinton, Jose Miguel Insulza, OAS Secretary-General, and who knows who else decides that the OAS should have another shot at it.  That is, after the US signals Micheletti to start complaining that he can’t get fair treatment from an OAS mission that includes ALBA countries.  This knocks out all the countries whose participation earlier in the process caused Clinton to shift the scene to Costa Rica.

A few days before the OAS mission was to arrive in Tegucigalpa, Micheletti, in a tour-de-force performance, states that he does not want Insulza to participate because he’s a biased, unprofessional ignoramus.  Micheletti relents a bit and says Insulza can participate but, as an “observer” only.  This staged temper tantrum causes the loss of another week before the mission actually makes it to Honduras.

The only way Micheletti can say “Hell, No!” all the time and violate virtually every human right and civil liberty with a rogue military and national police is because the US has his back.  And, since these are the kinds of things that routinely draw international condemnation and economic sanctions, the US’ backing comes with a lot money.

The game plan is much the same as we thought a while ago.  Run out the clock, so that there is no possiblity of a Zelaya return and plenty of time for the Michelettis to grow deep roots in the ground.  Of course, solidarity activists and human rights supporters should club the US over the ever-increasing number of people killed, maimed, and tortured during this red, white and blue ball game.  The US should know that the people of Honduras will never forgive this gross injustice and this is one ball the US will not be able to pass away.  Ugly American, indeed.