LATIN AMERICA: Summit Does Not Recognise Elections in Honduras

[struggle4progress]

By Mario de Queiroz

ESTORIL, Portugal, Dec 1 (IPS) - ... Costa Rica, Colombia, Panama and Peru, the only countries in the region that called for the results of the elections to be accepted, ran up against Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's emphatic "no, no and no; categorically no" ...

In equally harsh terms, Argentine President Cristina Fernández questioned the validity of the elections and complained about "double standards" when it comes to judging leaders in the region, depending on where they stand on the ideological spectrum.

"Respect for freedom is neither of the right nor the left," said Fernández. Without naming names, she lashed out at leaders who argue that Lobo should be recognised as president-elect as a compromise solution, saying "there is no such thing as a bit more or less of democracy. It's like being pregnant: either you are, or you aren't" ...

ALBA, which is made up of Antigua and Barbuda, Bolivia, Cuba, Dominica, Ecuador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Venezuela, also called for those "morally responsible for the military coup in Honduras to be brought to international justice for their crimes" by an ad hoc tribunal ...

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