| (WASHINGTON) - U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, this evening will deliver a special five-minute speech on the Floor of the House of Representatives in support of democratic principles and Honduran democratic institutions under fire by the U.S. and others. Statement by Ros-Lehtinen:
“The U.S. has crossed a dangerous threshold by announcing it will not recognize the upcoming Honduran presidential elections unless the current democratic government of Honduras accepts Zelaya’s return to power.
“This threat not only deliberately ignores the rule of law and the checks-and-balances carefully crafted in the Honduran constitution to prevent the rise of tyranny, but it seeks to replace them with mandates from outside actors who are carrying water for Chavez, Castro, Zelaya and the like.
“The U.S. position undermines the fundamental right of the Honduran people to elect their leaders free of coercion in multiparty, transparent, democratic elections.
“When placed in context and compared to the U.S. response to the sham elections in Iran and U.S. efforts to enable the Castro regime’s return to the Organization of American States, the U.S. approach to the Honduran situation raises questions about the primacy of freedom as the driving force of U.S. foreign policy in the region and beyond.
“The U.S. should be assisting, rather than undermining, the preparations for the upcoming elections, to ensure there is no interference with the democratic electoral process in Honduras.”
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