TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras.- The meeting of Ricardo Zúniga, Special government envoy of Joe Biden for the Northern Triangle, With the presidents of El Salvador and Guatemala and the call of a Honduran government delegation in Washington to address the causes of migration and corruption in that country generate a number of discrepancies over the bilateral relationship.
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Former Chancellor Edmundo Orellana has his own opinion.
How do you assess Biden’s current government relations with the Honduran government?
These relations are determined by what the federal courts in the Southern District of Manhattan establish in the subject against the drug trafficking that from Honduras politicians head, mainly, supposedly, from the government. This is a variable that is and will be the one that determines everything that comes to relations with the United States. Other than that, some senators are pushing, from a political standpoint, for decisions to be made that are consistent with what is being done in federal courts.
What would be the impact?
These political decisions are aimed at sanctioning the current ruler and the government, and consequently who will suffer the effects is the Honduran population, because there will be restrictions on the cooperation of states that will result in suspension of funding, technology transmission, among other things.
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Do you think that the fight against corruption will be strengthened?
I don’t see how the United States can strengthen the fight against corruption as the institutions that are supposed to be fighting corruption are part of the problem, we are talking about the Supreme Court and the prosecution. Two institutions that are unconditionally available to the ruler.
Do you think that Ricardo Zúniga’s non-visit to Honduras has an implicit message?
Yes, of course, but that matters a radish to government. Remember that here came Nancy Pellosi, with a more important level of representation than Zúniga and despising the ruler, she said she didn’t want to see him, that he was a despicable person to her, and what did that mean for the government? Nothing, then Trump hugged him and told him he was his representative here in Central America, even acknowledging him better merits than the doctors who were fighting the coronavirus. Look how Trump accused Hernandez and his government of being corrupt and said it had nothing to do with him, but once he got Honduras to become a safe third country he became an ally of Hernandez’s government and they began to favor the Honduran government with the expulsion of the Maccih, this one went away because the United States wanted it thus, otherwise it would never have gone away.
With current relationships what to expect for the coming months?
Nothing, absolutely nothing, because Biden so far is listening to what to do visiting Guatemala and El Salvador and it seems that they have some contacts with important Honduran government officials, which means that what they were not going to deal with the government is not true, already from here they begin to lie.
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