President Obama branded as "not legal" the the military coup in Honduras, where elected President Manuel (Mel) Zelaya was kidnapped and flown out of the country by soldiers bent on blocking an advisory vote on constitutional reform in the country.
Obama said a "terrible precedent" would be set if the coup were not reversed, adding that "We do not want to go back to a dark past. We always want to stand with democracy."
The president's statement -- which toughened up a tepid earlier announcement that he was "deeply concerned by reports coming out of Honduras" -- came as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton described the crisis as "a test of the inter-American system's ability to support and defend democracy and constitutional order in our hemisphere."
"The United States has been working with our partners in the OAS (Organization of American States) to fashion a strong consensus condemning the detention and expulsion of President Zelaya, and calling for the full restoration of democratic order in Honduras," she said Monday. "Our immediate priority is to restore full democratic and constitutional order in that country."
As the military and civil officials behind the coup clamped down on communications in Honduras and soldiers used tear gas outside the Honduran presidential palace to scatter thousands of people protesting a coup, President Zelaya was scheduled to speak tothe United Nations General Assembly.
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Honduras Coup Poses Challenges, Questions for Obama, Congress
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By John Nichols
The Nation, June 29, 2009
Straight to the Source
