Opinion: Honduran leaders vs. the ticking clock

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In an editorial today, the Times admonishes the leaders of the Honduran coup for dragging their feet, despite efforts by President Obama and the Organization of American States to reinstate President Manuel Zelaya. The coupsters seem to be playing the waiting game until the scheduled November elections, but the editorial board sides with most Latin American countries in saying that this won’t do:

Leaders of the interim government fear that if Zelaya were returned to power, he would renege on his word or that his ally, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, would somehow intervene. That’s why they hope to hold out until the November election. They believe that once the vote is deemed free and fair, all will be forgiven and Honduras can start the new year with a clean slate.

But Latin American governments have already said this won’t do. And the Obama administration must make perfectly clear that it would not go along either. Together, they must convince the Honduran coup leaders that this misguided strategy will not restore legitimacy and will not resolve the country’s internal divisions or external isolation.

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