Tuesday, 20 April 2004
Coalition of the Hasta Luego
- Spanish troops have already begun pulling out of Iraq.
- Honduras Will Withdraw Soldiers From Iraq Early
- 374 Salvadoran and 302 Dominican troops are due to be pulled out in July.
- Thailand,
which has more troops on the ground (451) in Iraq than Australia, says
it will withdraw its medical and engineering troops from Iraq if they
are attacked.
- Colin Powell expects more countries may follow Spain's lead.
By the way... if you were thinking that Honduras is merely following Spain on their way out the door, then here's something to think about:
With the transfer of sovereignty to Iraqis scheduled
to occur in 10 weeks, President Bush announced yesterday his selection
of John D. Negroponte, a veteran diplomat, to serve as the first U.S.
ambassador to Baghdad since Saddam Hussein's regime was toppled.
[...]
Negroponte was also the U.S. ambassador to Honduras in the 1980s, when
army death squads held sway. He was later accused by human rights
activists of having done little to limit the death squads' activities
or to bring pressure to bear on the Honduran government.
[...]
In 1995, The Baltimore Sun published a series about a Honduran army
unit that was trained and equipped by the CIA and that kidnapped,
tortured and executed hundreds of suspected subversives during the
1980s. The articles showed that Negroponte had access to information
about abuses committed by the battalion.
to occur in 10 weeks, President Bush announced yesterday his selection
of John D. Negroponte, a veteran diplomat, to serve as the first U.S.
ambassador to Baghdad since Saddam Hussein's regime was toppled.
[...]
Negroponte was also the U.S. ambassador to Honduras in the 1980s, when
army death squads held sway. He was later accused by human rights
activists of having done little to limit the death squads' activities
or to bring pressure to bear on the Honduran government.
[...]
In 1995, The Baltimore Sun published a series about a Honduran army
unit that was trained and equipped by the CIA and that kidnapped,
tortured and executed hundreds of suspected subversives during the
1980s. The articles showed that Negroponte had access to information
about abuses committed by the battalion.
Not only is Negroponte's appointment a slap in the face to the Honduran
people, it's also an unmistakable warning sign as to what may be about
to go down in Iraq.
The Hondurans have seen what Negroponte is capable of, and I'm sure
they don't want to have any part of it this time around.
UPDATE: For more information, here's Negroponte's wikipedia entry. It is a must read.
Posted by flow Frazao on April 20, 2004 at 02:56 PM | Permalink
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