During the Honduran coup, Honduran President Manuel Zelaya attempted to return to his native country three times. The first two times, the Micheletti dictatorship blocked him. At last he succeeded and went to the Brazilian embassy. The dictatorship responded by besieging the embassy and subjecting its staff to a kind of torture through constant noise, brilliant lights, and chemicals which may have included chemical warfare agents or worse. These actions were in violation of established international law, namely the Treaty of Vienna (see Articles 31, 34, 35, 40, 59 and 61 for examples of violations by the Micheletti dictatorship).
Cables recently released by Wikileaks show the United States providing nothing except lip service in response to Brazilian pleas for help. Instead, the focus on of the US is on Colombia and Iran. Indeed, the US aggressively expanded bases in South America, ratcheting up regional tensions, and demanded that Brazil take a greater role.
Brasilia, 9/4/09 to Hillary Clinton et al. Interestingly, executives from Petrobras and Central Bank are in attendance at the meeting, among other "senior opposition and business figures."
[Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso] Amorim described USG actions against the de facto government as "surface scratches" that were not deep enough to do damage. There had been enough concessions to Micheletti, he said. The United States needs to tell him in clear terms that he must allow Zelaya back. The situation in Honduras needs a resolution that is "both quick and peaceful," Amorim said, although he recognized the difficulty of achieving both. For his part, Garcia noted that President Zelaya would be coming to Brazil shortly, and encouraged the USG to apply stronger pressure on the de facto government to allow Zelaya to be restored to power quickly, he suggested revoking more visas. Garcia stressed that Zelaya "is not a dangerous revolutionary," that returning him to power to run the elections "will not lead to significant changes," and that the de facto government cannot be allowed to run elections.
On the 21st of September, Manuel Zelaya surfaced at the Brazilian embassy. By the 23rd of September, the situation in the embassy has become serious. Brasilia to Hillary Clinton and others:
[First Secretary Renato de Avila] Viana explained that water, electricity, and phone lines to the Brazilian Embassy in Tegucigalpa had been cut and the Embassy was running solely on a diesel generator that was running out of fuel. As of 05:00 this morning the Honduran police and military cleared the streets surrounding the Brazilian Embassy of protestors. Seventy pro-Zelaya Honduran protestors sought refuge in the Brazilian Embassy and remain there; Viana said that the protestors remain calm. Eight Brazilians from the Embassy were allowed to return home, leaving only the Charge and three other Brazilians at the Embassy. So far, the Honduran security forces have not intruded on the Brazilian Embassy, however Viana noted that the streets around the Embassy are full of security forces and it is clear that the Honduran strategy is to "asphyxiate the Embassy." The situation is grave, Viana explained, and the Brazilians in the Embassy and the MRE are concerned that the situation will escalate. Viana said that right now an invasion is improbable but not out of the realm of possibility....
According to Viana, the Brazilian Embassy in Tegucigalpa has asked the U.S. Embassy in Honduras for help in maintaining security at the Brazilian Embassy and for diesel fuel to run their generator. Viana said they would be in need of food and water, but were concerned that no one would be able to reach them with fuel and other basics since the streets were controlled by the Honduran security forces. Viana lamented that the Brazilian Embassy did not have "the type of protection the U.S. Embassy has, the Marines," because they are unable to defend the Embassy....
[Ambassador Goncalo Mello] Mourao told the British that the help they would like from the United States is in blocking remittances to Honduras as a way of pressuring the government in power, as, according to Mourao, 60 percent of remittances into Honduras come from the United States.
Besieging an embassy is a clear violation of the ">Treaty of Vienna, and an extremely dangerous precedent for all nations. Yet the United States apparently does not supply any assistance, except in reducing Brazilian staff and facilitating communication to the hostage-takers (the Honduran military). Indeed the US seems more interested in the fact that Brazil suspects that Hugo Chavez encouraged Zelaya to return than in doing anything substantive.
On the 25th, Brasilia cables that the situation is slightly improved. The Brazilian official notes that the United Nations has concluded that elections cannot be free and fair:
Viana said that the security situation at the Brazilian Embassy had improved; electricity and water were turned back on, however the phone lines were still down but they somehow had access to the internet and their best means of communication was via cellular phones. The greatest worry to the Brazilians right now, he said, is that while people can leave the Embassy, they are not allowed to return. Viana expressed the GOB,s appreciation for US assistance in providing a van to take most of their personnel out of the Embassy because the Honduran military is not allowing the operation of any vehicles associated with the Brazilian Embassy....
Viana asked for greater U.S. pressure on the Honduran government to ease their impositions on the Brazilian Embassy and on the international community to intervene. Viana said that the Brazilians in Honduras need to have free access into their Embassy use of their vehicles. ...
Viana said that the best news he received so far was that the UN claimed the poor conditions in Honduras at this point suggest elections in November cannot be free and fair and have suspended election assistance. Viana said that increased pressure from the United States and the international community toward a solution is necessary.
On the 28th, we get a glimpse at Hillary Clinton's view. Almost a week after the crisis began, the influence of the US is at last felt on the gross violation of international law that has been taking place and on a new violation that is rumored to be about to take place:
Amorim reported a rumor that the Honduran Supreme Court would hold a special session that evening to suspend the Vienna Convention, allowing the de factos to arrest Zelaya at the Brazilian embassy. He thanked the United States for our statement calling on the de facto government to uphold the Vienna Convention....
A/S Shannon reported that Ambassador [Hugo] Llorens had already sent a message to Secretary Clinton describing the situation as worrisome. He said the Ambassador was engaging with de facto leaders to allow for food, water and electricity. A/S Shannon reported on his meeting with FM Patricia Rodas earlier that afternoon, during which he spoke to Zelaya by phone and confirmed that food and water had begun to arrive at the embassy.
By the 2nd of October, the situation remains precarious, as described in a cable from Brasilia to Hillary Clinton. A Brazilian senator says that the US has placed itself on the sidelines. Even as the US is told that the restoration to power of Zelaya is a non-negotiable demand of the OAS, it continues to equivocate and refuse to use the power at its disposal:
According to Viana, the Brazilian Embassy in Washington received a bomb threat via telephone call against the Brazilian Embassy in Tegucigalpa... According to Viana, Brazil does not yet have a new strategy to deal with the Honduran crisis taking place in their embassy and is now looking to the Security Council to take a strong stance on the situation to lead to greater international assistance. ...
Azeredo stressed that the United States "should not separate itself" from its recent tradition of taking a strong role in promoting democracy in the region. He believes that the USG is trying to take a more non-interventionist role, but said that this is not the time to stay on the sidelines. ...
[Costa Rica Ambassador to Brazil Jorge Alfredo] Robles [Arias]...emphasized that Zelaya,s return to power was an unconditional demand made by Costa Rica and the rest of the region. Robles explained that it was after Secretary Clinton suggested that Arias become involved in the resolution of the crisis in Honduras that he offered up the San Jose accord. According to Robles, all items in the accord are ultimately negotiable, with the exception of Zelaya,s return to the presidency. Robles repeatedly pressed for the U.S. position on Zelaya,s return to power, questioning if the U.S. Congress, lack of support for Zelaya could lead to decreased pressure from the United States on Honduras and the international community to act. PolCouns told Robles that the United States had notchanged our position with regard to the need for a peaceful resolution under the frameworks already laid out.....
Comment: It is notable that Viana, Robles, and Azeredo all expressed concern that the United States might waiver in its current stance, and that the OAS and regional mediators alone cannot make inroads with the Micheletti and Zelaya factions.... planted firmly in the back seat, it appears Brazil is looking to the United States, the OAS, and the United Nations to safeguard its interests and, it hopes, navigate toward a long-term solution.
The next cable we have is after the sham elections which the UN said could not be free or fair. Brazil continues to emphasize that the US has displaced a president who is not a radical, and that in order to regain some credibility, it must take steps to do more than get him amnesty from non-existent crimes. February 19th, 2010, Brasilia to President:
Marco Aurelio Garcia, Lula’s highly influential Foreign Policy Advisor, steered the conversation in his February 8 meeting toward Latin America, his primary focus. He opened with the need for a "certain rehabilitation" of former President Manuel Zelaya, which he did not define in detail but characterized as "a little more than amnesty." Garcia recognized that Zelaya is essentially conservative but argued that, as a catalyst of a popular movement in Honduras, resentment regarding his dismissal will continue and can potentially destabilize Honduras long-term if it is not addressed.
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See Whom the Gods Would Destroy, a five part series summarizing the situation in Honduras; all five parts are linked from the concluding section here.
Adrienne Pine, an expert on Honduras, has analyzed a cable from late October in which Latin American scholars and politicians from across the spectrum basically agree that (thanks to the weak US response, though they don't say that) the hand of more radical regimes, such as that of Hugo Chavez, is strengthened.