Craig Kelly Repeats US Support For Election

Craig Kelly read a prepared statement in Honduras this morning after meeting yesterday with Micheletti and Zelaya yesterday, which is quoted extensively in an ADN.es news story. No English language coverage so far. In it he again repeated the US support for the elections in Honduras as part of the solution to the political problems.

"An important part of the solution for peace in the future is the Honduran elections."

Kelly repeated the US mantra about avoiding violence. "In preparation for the elections its very important that the authorities respect human rights; at the same time, its important that everyone avoid provocations, calls to violence, because the country needs tranquility, an environment of peace, to move towards this important date."

"No one has the right to take away from the Honduran people their right to vote, elect their leaders; this is an important part of democracy and I've noted the enthusiasm in the country, to be moving towards the elections of November 29."

Kelly modestly suggested that his visit, the third since October, served to assemble ("instrumentar" alternate definition, legalize) the Tegucigalpa-San Jose Accord. He emphasized that "an important part for the United States, implementing the Accord, is the principal of the restoration of constitutional democracy as a successor to the coup which happened on June 28." But he is fine with Congress waiting until after the elections to consider the issue of "restoring constitutional democracy" as he calls it.

Kelly did not take questions, and there was no indication if he was returning to the US, or remaining in Honduras for further conversations.

Rumors published in El Heraldo yesterday and today, which might well be part of the propaganda of the golpistas, is that Kelly is pushing Zelaya to accept a third party as President, and negotiating with Micheletti and Zelaya who would designate this third party. Since the source of the information is Rafael Pineda Ponce, a source of deliberate misinformation in the past, I would take the rumor with a large grain of salt.

Update 5:30 pm PDT: Kelly has reportedly left Honduras. He left at mid day, La Tribuna reports, to return to Washington, DC.