by Manuel Zelaya
-The neoliberal economic model has failed, and we need
social policies for the disadvantaged in our society. That's why I
aim for a new model of development, and part of my administration
supported me in that endeavor. But the neoliberals simply want to
expand their wealth, and they have no interest in the country's
development. A few large companies dominate the Honduran economy.
This plays into the hands of multinational corporations, which
control the market, thereby creating even more poverty.
-More than 1,000 people were arrested and are now in prison, and
four young people were killed in a protest march. I am afraid that
even more people have died. We don't know exactly what is happening
in the country. The coup leaders control most of the
media.
In a SPIEGEL interview, ousted President Manuel Zelaya, 56,
discusses the coup in his native Honduras, the lack of intervention
from Washington, his political ties to Venezuelan President Hugo
Chavez and his hopes to unseat the regime by peaceful means.
SPIEGEL: Mr. President, you have now established your headquarters
in northern Nicaragua, only a few kilometers from the Honduran
border. Will you attempt, as you have already done several times in
recent weeks, to return to Honduras on your own?
Zelaya: I could go back across the border today or tomorrow, but
I'm being threatened. The coup leaders want to murder me, or at
least arrest me, as they have done once before. I want to prepare
for my return in a peaceful way. Hondurans should know: I am
prepared to resume control of the country at the appropriate
moment. For now, we are organizing the resistance.
SPIEGEL: Your Costa Rican counterpart, President Oscar Arias, has
unveiled a peace plan designed to reinstate you. Do you have faith
in a negotiated solution?
Zelaya: We accept the Arias plan. Negotiations are the only way.
But it will only work if the international community increases its
pressure on the coup leaders. It has to make sure that coups don't
become an epidemic. That would jeopardize security and stability on
the entire continent. If coups, revolutions and uprisings were to
spread throughout Latin America once again, the United States and
Europe would also pay a high price.
SPIEGEL: Under the peace plan, you would be required to give up
some of your power. For instance, you would no longer be able to
appoint your own ministers ...
Zelaya: I accept that. I'm a politician, and I'm tolerant.
SPIEGEL: Do you see an opportunity for dialogue with the new
regime?
Zelaya: International pressure would have to be increased for that
to happen. It affected the coup leaders when Washington suspended
their diplomatic visas, and the sanctions are also taking effect.
In many ports, goods coming from Honduras are no longer being
unloaded. The German firm Adidas, along with Nike and clothing
manufacturer Gap, have announced that they will cancel orders from
Honduran factories unless democracy is restored.
SPIEGEL: Your supporters claim that the US ambassador and
influential right-wing politicians in the United States were told
about the coup in advance.
Zelaya: There were many rumors
leading up to the coup, as well as unusual military movements. I'm
sure that the Obama administration knew about it, but it didn't
agree to the overthrow.
SPIEGEL: The secretary general of the Organization of American
States (OAS) and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have
criticized you for your attempts to return to Honduras on your own,
by crossing the Nicaraguan border. Aren't you just provoking
further violence with such actions?
Zelaya: They don't know anything about the suffering of the
Honduran people, and the sacrifices Hondurans are making to bring
me back. The military coup has turned into a dictatorship. It is
oppressing the people and committing massive human rights
violations. Hillary and the OAS should find out more about
that.
SPIEGEL: The US government has condemned the coup. Was that too
lackadaisical for you?
Zelaya: US President (Barack) Obama is sincere, but he is not
acting decisively enough. He ought to pursue the coup leaders more
resolutely so that such coups don't happen again.
SPIEGEL: The Honduran congress and the country's highest court
accuse you of having breached the constitution. You wanted the
people to vote directly on whether a decision to convene a
constitutional convention should be voted on in the November
elections.
Zelaya: But that isn't a reason to stage a coup right away. I
didn't commit a breach of the constitution.
SPIEGEL: Will you insist on a constitutional reform if you return
to Honduras?
Zelaya: I want to actively involve
the people in democracy. This is a historic process, and it cannot
be stopped.
SPIEGEL: One of the reasons you want to amend the constitution is
so that you can be reelected, or so the accusations go.
Zelaya: I have never tried to do that, nor will I, because the
constitution prohibits it.
SPIEGEL: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is one your key
supporters. That's why you are suspected of trying to create a
populist regime similar to his. How much influence does Chavez have
on your government?
Zelaya: Absolutely zero. These accusations are just a
trick to divert attention away from the coup leaders' true motives.
Chavez is the scapegoat. In fact, the USA is
the one intervening in Honduras. Seventy percent of Honduran
exports go there. We have a military, trade and immigration treaty
with Washington.
SPIEGEL: But Venezuela supplies discounted oil to Honduras, which
makes you dependent on Chavez.
Zelaya: That's another of those
lies. Venezuela covers only 15 percent of
our oil needs. American oil companies bring in 85 percent.
SPIEGEL: You are also considered an admirer of Fidel Castro. How is
your relationship with Cuba?
Zelaya: We have very good relations, just as we do with Europe and
the United States. I have no problems with any
country in the world, only with the economic elite in Honduras,
which is getting rich at the expense of the poor. I don't want to
drive them out. I just want them to change their
attitude. The wealth must be more evenly
distributed. The political parties that have
ruled Honduras for the past 100 years are merely defending the
economic elite.
SPIEGEL: But now you and coup leader Roberto Micheletti belong to
the same party. You are both considered part of the upper class,
and you yourself come from a family of wealthy cattle farmers.
When did you discover your
heart for the poor?
Zelaya: It was a long process of developing awareness. The neoliberal economic model
has failed, and we need social policies for the disadvantaged in
our society. That's why I aim for a new
model of development, and part of my administration supported me in
that endeavor. But the neoliberals simply
want to expand their wealth, and they have no interest in the
country's development. A few large companies dominate the Honduran
economy. This plays into the hands of multinational corporations,
which control the market, thereby creating even more
poverty. I believe in entrepreneurship and
economic liberalism. But things have to become more equitable,
which is why we must amend the laws.
SPIEGEL: What happens if your efforts to return are unsuccessful?
Will you call upon the Hondurans to rebel?
Zelaya: Under the constitution, the people have the right to
resistance and rebellion if someone assumes power by
force.
SPIEGEL: But that creates the threat of civil war.
Zelaya: There is the same danger if the coup leaders prevail. If
that happens, we could face a long conflict, because we will not be
brought to our knees. We are not afraid of their guns. The military in Honduras has
only 7,000 men. If we were to take up arms, we would quickly drive
away those few soldiers. But we want to unseat the regime in a
peaceful and honorable way. Women, children,
young people, students, workers - we have all joined forces in a civil
front against the coup. Even my 80-year-old
mother is taking to the streets and offering peaceful
resistance.
SPIEGEL: The coup regime claims that there is in fact little
resistance, and that there have been hardly any dead or
injured.
Zelaya: More than 1,000 people were
arrested and are now in prison, and four young people were killed
in a protest march. I am afraid that even
more people have died. We don't know exactly what is happening in
the country. The coup leaders control most
of the media.
SPIEGEL: Are the armed forces behind the coup government?
Zelaya: The military is divided. Many
young officers oppose the coup. They could rise up against the
military leadership any day.
SPIEGEL: Will you put the coup leaders on trial when you return to
Honduras?
Zelaya: Of course. There should be an international trial, to
discourage copycats.
SPIEGEL: What happens with the elections planned for November?
Would you agree to early elections?
Zelaya: They can take place tomorrow, as far as I'm concerned, but
I will not participate. I am working on a big plan for social
reforms. We are merely changing the strategy, but the struggle
continues.
Interview conducted by Jens Glüsing.
Translated from the German by Christopher Sultan.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=14630