Honduran Deputy Foreign Minister: US Involved in Honduran Coup

Sunday, August 16, 2009

A senior official in Honduras' deposed government claims there was US involvement in the coup that removed President Manuel Zelaya from power.

Patricia Valle, who served as Zelaya's deputy foreign minister, has claimed the plane that flew him into exile stopped at an airfield manned by hundreds of American troops.

Ms Valle said the Honduran military aircraft took off from the capital's Toncontin airport, then landed to take on fuel at the Soto Cano base before heading to Costa Rica. She says Zelaya stayed on the plane during the stop.

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Palmerola was used by the United States during the Central American civil wars of the 1980s. US Air Force personnel are responsible for maintaining the airfield and share air traffic control duties with Honduran authorities, according to the Joint Task Force-Bravo Web site.

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Washington has suspended millions of dollars in military and development aid to Honduras, one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. But it has stopped short of imposing trade sanctions that could cripple the Honduran economy, which is highly dependent on exports to the United States.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0816/breaking123.htm