HONDURAS: special welcome for COLIN POWELL

[raquel@rds.org.hn]

From:           	"Rights Action" <info@rightsaction.org>

November 16, 2003

HONDURAS: US Secretary of State Colin Powell visited Honduras.
Following is a brief account of the protest actions against the visit
of US Secretary of State Colin Powell to Honduras on November 4, 
2003,
written by Sandra Cuffe.

Below are translations of the open letters to Colin Powell and
Honduran President Ricardo Maduro, which better illustrate the
position of the demonstrators.

Feel free to circulate, distribute, etc any of this information,
citing source.  If you want on/ off this list: info@rightsaction.org.

===

HONDURAS GIVES COLIN POWELL A ?SPECIAL WELCOME?
-- by Sandra Cuffe

On November 4, 2003, US Secretary of State Colin Powell visited
Honduras.  He arrived in a helicopter at the joint US-Honduran
military base Palmerola, the construction of which forcibly displaced
thousands of campesinos from their homes and land.  Hundreds of US
military personnel remain stationed at the base, which is only one
example in a long history of US military bases, invasions and other
involvements in Honduras (and the rest of Central America, Latin
America and the world).

Next stop was the presidential palace, where discussions with 
Honduran
president Ricardo Maduro revolved around the catchphrase themes of
terrorism, drug trafficking and corruption, nefarious evils which the
governments of both the United States and Honduras are very committed
to eradicating in their own special way.

One of these special efforts is the establishment of a new joint
military base in the remote Mosquitia, a project which has been both
confirmed and denied in conflicting reports by US and Honduran
officials.  The purpose of this militarization is purportedly to
monitor and combat the drug trafficking and illegal logging in the
region, a task no doubt suited to military officials, who certainly
have a great deal of experience and involvement in both activities. 
They also throw terrorism into the project ? they don?t specify
exactly who these terrorists are in the region, but they?ll surely 
use
a giant military budget to deal with them.

As usual, the new military base did not figure on the public agenda.
Most publicized was Colin Powell?s thanks to Honduras for the support
they have lent to the ?liberation? of Iraq and the vague responses
surrounding the possibility of a request for more troops.  Gotta
replace those yankees on the daily death toll with foreigners whose
lives are worth much less in the press.

Demonstrators, including some participating in a 28-hour hunger
strike, had been outside the presidential residence since 10am. 
Spearheaded by the Civic Council of Popular and Indigenous
Organizations of Honduras COPINH and accompanied by other
organizations and individuals involved in the National Coordination 
of
Popular Resistance, the small but vocal group publicized the demands
set forth by COPINH: the closure of the Palmerola military base (and
an end to the US military presence), a halt to plans to install a new
military base in the indigenous territories of the Gracias a Dios
department, and the return of Honduran soldiers in Iraq.  They
affirmed their position that relations between all governments and
peoples of the world should be oriented by peacebuilding and the
search for true development.

At 1pm a press conference began in the presidential residence.  Only
moments after it began, megaphones were turned on and the activists
outside coordinated a resounding chant accusing Powell of being the
true terrorist.

The ruckus was audible in the press conference, where Maduro is
reported to have personally demonstrated the varying shades of beet
red.  He publicly apologized to Colin Powell, explaining that the
protestors were not representative of Honduras.  Journalists 
stampeded
out of the building, many overcome by laughter.

The demonstrators were also accompanied by Guillermina Gómez, an
indigenous Lenca woman from a remote community in the department of
Intibucá whose son Danilo Gómez has been sent to Iraq, and several of
Danilo?s siblings.  As President Ricardo Maduro tried to recover his
calm and continue with the grandiose press conference, many
journalists opted to stick around outside where the messages were 
much
more real and compelling.  While Danilo?s family members could not
hold back their tears, open letters to both Powell and Maduro were
read publicly, revealing a biting commentary on the sending of
Honduran troops to Iraq and revealing the true ?terrorism.?

Not long after, Powell was scooped up in a helicopter and flown out 
of
Honduras, ending his brief sojourn in Central America.  The previous
day he had visited Panama to participate in the celebrations of 100
years of ?independence.?  Due to Colombia?s refusal to allow the US 
to
build and control an inter-oceanic route through the northern part of
the country at the turn of the century, pressure and large amounts of
US dollars were used to achieve the separation of a chunk of 
Colombian
territory ? Panama ? on November 3, 1903.  Powell briefly visited
Nicaragua as well, where he was reportedly also given a special
welcome by protestors.

OPEN LETTER TO COLIN POWELL, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE

Tegucigalpa, Honduras, November 4, 2003.

General Colin Powell, Secretary of State, Government of the United
States

Honourable Secretary Colin Powell:

Please accept my cordial greetings.  I hope this message finds you in
good health.  The motive of the present letter is to communicate the
following:

My name is Guillermina Gómez.  I am an indigenous Lenca woman from 
the
indigenous municipality of San Francisco de Opalaca, in the 
department
of Intibucá.  I am the mother of 11 children of whom 4 have died as a
result of the extreme poverty to which our people is submitted.  Here
we are the victims of the invasion of our indigenous territories, the
looting of our natural resources and the lack of basic social
services. The only thing for which we are used is to give our sons to
the army, in which more than 80 percent of individuals enlisted 
belong
to the indigenous populations of this country.

The incredible part of this story is that now my son has been sent to
IRAQ where your government is waging a war that was not authorized by
the United Nations and is therefore illegal.  Furthermore, it is
immoral from all points of view, given the information we have heard
that the power that armed and financed the regime that existed in 
Iraq
was precisely your government, to the point that the United States
also supplied this regime with weapons of mass destruction.  We have
also learned that the underlying interest of your government is the
control of the massive oil reserves in the region.

When these issues are brought to light it becomes clear that there in
no reason for my son to be involved in this war in which Honduras, 
our
patria, has no interest.  The terrorism that we feel here is the sky
high infant mortality rate; four of my sons died because of
malnutrition and a complete lack of access to medical services.  When
you also consider the beatings we receive from police when we demand
the opening of schools and add the assassinations of more than 50
indigenous leaders, it is evident that the situation is one of true
terrorism.

I therefore demand the return of my son Danilo Gómez and hold you and
your government responsible for any harm that might befall him.

I would also like to take the time to urge you and your government to
reflect on your global policy of war that only serves to drown
humanity in blood.  Your resources would be better invested in 
actions
of a true development that seeks equality, in such a way that 
humanity
would be recompensed in part for all the harm caused by your country.

Sincerely,

Guillermina Gómez, Mother of a Honduran soldier in Iraq

OPEN LETTER TO HONDURAN PRESIDENT RICARDO MADURO

Licenciado Ricardo Maduro
President of the Republic of Honduras
Casa Presidencial

Honourable President:

Please accept my respectful greetings. I wish you success in your
daily functions.

The motive of the present letter is to communicate the following:

My name is Guillermina Gómez.  I am an indigenous Lenca woman from 
the
municipality of San Francisco de Opalaca, department of Intibucá.  I
am the mother of 11 children of whom 4 have died due to the 
conditions
of extreme poverty in which we live in this abandoned nook of
Honduras, where the government you lead has done absolutely nothing 
to
improve our living conditions.

Although this marginalization holds us in great misery, we always
participate in the services required by the country and so it was 
that
my son Danilo Gómez enlisted himself in the Armed Forces to defend
Honduras as is set out in the Constitution.  The surprise, however, 
is
that you found it fitting to send him to Iraq to participate in an
illegal war in which the United States violated international law by
bypassing the United Nations.  What is most deplorable is that your
government supports this war, risking the lives of hundreds of
Hondurans among whom is my son.  If he is still alive, it is due to
the will of God and San Matias.

Sadder still is that while my son and other youths are in a perilous
situation defending unjust causes, the true terrorism is stronger in
our country:  the poverty that continually increases our hunger, the
inequality, the unemployment, the destruction and robbery of our
natural resources, the lack of education and health services.  This
terrorism is much more grave, as is evidenced by the police beatings
received by demonstrators, the huge lies such as those of the 
Ministry
of Education, and the tremendous defamation campaigns waged against
our organizations.

Sir President, you know what it is to lose a child and will 
understand
the reasons for which I am demanding the return of my son to 
Honduras.
If you choose to disregard this demand, as of this moment I hold you
responsible for any harm that might befall him.  Something very
important for you to know is that although I am a poor woman who has
already lost 4 children, the pain would not be any less for the loss
of Danilo, whom you sent to an illegal war only to stay in the good
books of the United States.

Sir President, I would also like to ask that you cease the
implementation of laws against the citizens and that you dispose of
your close-minded attitude against a true dialogue with the people.

Respectfully yours,

Guillermina Gómez
Mother of a soldier sent to Iraq

[Tegucigalpa, Honduras, November 4, 2003.]

===

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===


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