Apologies if this has already been addressed in a previous diary entry.
As I'm sure you're all aware, Honduras has announced that they'll be pulling their forces out of Iraq.
On the surface, it may appear that they're simply following the Spanish on their way out the door. However, it appears there's a bit more going on just under the surface.
Here's
something to think about:
With the transfer of sovereignty to Iraqis scheduled to occur in 10 weeks, President Bush announced yesterday his selection of John D. Negroponte, a veteran diplomat, to serve as the first U.S. ambassador to Baghdad since Saddam Hussein's regime was toppled.
[...]
Negroponte was also the U.S. ambassador to Honduras in the 1980s, when army death squads held sway. He was later accused by human rights activists of having done little to limit the death squads' activities or to bring pressure to bear on the Honduran government.
[...]
In 1995, The Baltimore Sun published a series about a Honduran army unit that was trained and equipped by the CIA and that kidnapped, tortured and executed hundreds of suspected subversives during the 1980s. The articles showed that Negroponte had access to information about abuses committed by the battalion.
Not only is Negroponte's appointment a slap in the face to the Honduran people, it's also an unmistakable warning sign as to what may be about to go down in Iraq.
The Hondurans have seen what Negroponte is capable of, and I'm sure they don't want to have any part of it this time around.
turn that shit UP