Obama Heeds Zelaya's Directive; Honduran Democracy under siege

From el Economista:

Honduras' coup leaders came under new pressure on Tuesday to allow ousted President Manuel Zelaya's return to power as the United States revoked visas for four members of the de facto government...

Zelaya had asked President Barack Obama to revoke U.S. visas for the coup leaders and he quickly welcomed the move.

"They are isolated, they are surrounded, they are alone," Zelaya said of the coup leaders. "This is a coup that has been dead from the start, so they will have to abandon their position of intransigence in the coming hours."...

"We don't recognize Roberto Micheletti as the president of Honduras," State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said in Washington. "We recognize Manuel Zelaya, and so in keeping with that policy of non-recognition, we have decided to revoke official diplomatic visas, or A visas, of four individuals who are members of that regime."

Kelly did not name the Hondurans affected but said the diplomatic visas of other members of the government were also being reviewed.

"It is part of our overall policy towards the de facto regime," he said...

Zelaya has in recent days questioned whether the U.S. government was doing enough to push for his return.

He wrote to Obama urging him to impose sanctions directly against the coup leaders and members of Micheletti's government, including the cancellation of their U.S. visas and a ban on their bank transactions...

Zelaya should have never doubted Obama. The president would never, ever, abandon our authoritarian allies!