A leading candidate for Honduras’ presidency distanced himself on Wednesday from the overthrow of Manuel Zelaya and said sending him abroad was a mistake, while clashes broke out between police and supporters of the ousted president.
The comments by Elvin Santos add to cracks in the once-solid backing among the country’s power structure for the June 28 removal of Zelaya, though officials so far have rejected international demands to let him return to the presidency.
“I will go to all corners of the country to explain that I was in no way a part of the events of June 28,” Santos said on Channel 5’s Face to Face show.
“The huge mistake was taking him [Zelaya] out of the country and leaving him defenseless,” said Santos, whose Liberal Party includes both Zelaya and the man who replaced him, Roberto Micheletti.
Zelaya’s terms ends on Jan. 27 and he is constitutionally barred from seeking re-election. Opponents say he was trying to abolish term limits when he repeatedly ignored court orders to drop plans for a referendum on changing the Constitution — an initiative that led to his ouster. Zelaya denies that was his intention.
Even the generals who hustled Zelaya out of the country are now taking pains to defend their action with a televised appearance that suggests they fear being made scapegoats if the ousted leader returns because of overwhelming international pressure.
Army chief General Miguel Angel Garcia insisted on Channel 5 on Tuesday that the military stopped a plan to impose “socialism disguised as democracy,” a reference to Zelaya’s growing ties to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
“What the armed forces did on June 28 was the defense and survival of the state, which was under threat,” Rear Admiral Juan Pablo Rodriguez said.
The armed forces chief, General Romeo Vasquez, even suggested the military would not stand in the way if Zelaya returns to power under a plan proposed by Costa Rican President Oscar Arias.
“The military will respect whatever solution is reached under the mediation of President Oscar Arias,” he said.
Meanwhile, police used tear gas and a water cannon to disperse pro-Zelaya students protesting near the Autonomous University of Honduras in the capital. The students burned tires and sent sticks and stones raining down on the officers’ riot shields. They also hurled some rocks through the windows of nearby restaurants.
University director Julieta Castellanos told reporters police beat her when she tried to persuade them to leave.
Meanwhile, US policy on Honduras’ political crisis is not aimed at supporting any particular individual, the State Department said in a new letter that implied softening support for Zelaya.
The letter to Republican Senator Richard Lugar contained criticism of Zelaya, saying the left-leaning former leader had taken provocative actions before his removal by the army.
It also indicated severe US economic sanctions were not being considered against the de facto government.
“Our policy and strategy for engagement is not based on supporting any particular politician or individual. Rather, it is based on finding a resolution that best serves the Honduran people and their democratic aspirations,” Richard Verma, assistant secretary for legislative affairs, said in the letter.
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