US ambassador warned Zelaya not to attempt to change constitution
Posted by: "Diana Barahona"
[email protected] dlbarahona
Fri Jul 10, 2009 1:24 pm (PDT)
Thanks to Jean-Guy Allard, who found this June 4, 2009 article in which US Ambassador Llorens warns Zelaya not to attempt to consult the Honduran people.
http://www.laprensahn.com/Especiales/Ediciones/2009/06/05/Noticias/Uno-no-puede-violar-la-Constitucion-Llorens"One cannot violate the constitution": Llorens
June 4, 2009
Tegucigalpa, Honduras
US Ambassador Hugo Llorens said that the constitution cannot be violated to create another magna carta because that would be like living in "the law of the jungle."
At a press conference the diplomat talked about democracy.
When he was asked for his opinion about the process of the poll that was being attempted in the country, he said, "The only thing that I would say about that matter is that it is a Honduran issue, it is a delicate issue to comment on as a foreign diplomat.
"The United States has a very clear, very transparent policy toward all of the countries we are friends with in Latin America. We have always said it, and it is support for democracy.
"Honduras has democratic institutions. Honduran democracy is imperfect, it is young and is 28, 29 years old.
"But as an old Latin Americanist, I remember when I began my career, I would look at the map and I would see in the map of Latin America that 75 percent of the governments were dictatorships and authoritarian governments, military juntas, totalitarian governments, like in Cuba, which unfortunately exists.
"Latin America has changed. There has been a wave of liberty and that wave of liberty has been very positive and in Honduras, I know, because I lived
15 years ago, it has evolved a lot."
Does Honduras need a new constitution?
"The only thing I would say is that there has been an evolution and it has advanced a lot and I believe that is important. One can always strengthen democracy. Democracy is doing a better job, it's responding to the expectations of the people. Things have to be done better, that is the task of democracy. Within that liberty it is that one can evolve.
"Thus the only thing I would say is that that is an issue that Hondurans have to deal with.
"But I would say one thing, that would be fundamental and I believe that everyone should agree with this, that whatever is done should be done within the law, if it is done or it is not done or a variation of what we are talking about is done, it should be done within the law, within the constitution."
"One cannot violate the constitution in order to create a constitution, because if one has no constitution he is living the law of the jungle.
"Those are the catastrophes that countries went through, thankfully in Latin America that doesn't exist anymore, there is a state of law.
"That is the position of the United States and it is very clear.
"But at the level of if there is a fourth ballot box or if there isn't or what variation or if there is a referendum, I believe that that is an issue for the Honduran people.
"I would always suggest that it is very important in a democracy to have a mature, constructive and calm dialogue and to seek what has always been: the vocation of the Honduran that makes this people great."
"Uno no puede violar la Constitución": Llorens
Es importante tener un diálogo maduro, constructivo y sereno, dijo Hugo Llorens
--
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
