US Policy on Honduras: View of a Diplomat

Editor's Note: The following piece was originally published as a Letter to the Editor in yesterday's edition of The New York Times. It was written in response to an Op-Ed article written by Dana Frank titled "In Honduras, A Mess Made in the US".

By Jorge Hernández Alcerro
Ms. Frank’s insinuations about the Honduran government’s illegitimacy are offensive to the 56.6 percent of Hondurans who voted for President Porfirio Lobo in the last election. More than 4,600 international and domestic observers closely supervised the electoral process. The other four Honduran political parties recognized President Lobo’s election, have been integrated into the sitting national reconciliation and unity government, and are represented in Congress.

Ms. Frank’s article points to the effects and not the underlying causes of violence in Honduras. It confuses common and organized criminality with human rights offenses. Honduras is a victim of what Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton described as America’s “insatiable demand for illegal drugs.” Without it, murder rates would drop dramatically.

Ms. Frank observes that Honduras is struggling against crime and narcotics trafficking -- yet she urges the United States to abandon Honduras to the drug lords by cutting off police and military aid. This assistance supports President Lobo’s and Congress’s efforts to strengthen the legal and institutional framework to better combat crime and narcotics trafficking, by appointing judges with national jurisdiction, approving a security tax, authorizing wiretapping, creating a strong internal affairs board for the National Police, amending the Constitution to allow extradition of Honduran nationals and establishing an independent commission for reform of the security sector.

The independent Office of the National Prosecutor for Human Rights has been investigating and prosecuting the alleged human rights violations with assistance from the United States, Colombia and Spain. Legislation has been passed to combat child labor, a committee against torture was established and legislation against human trafficking has been introduced.

Ms. Frank’s call to desert a steadfast American friend and ally would damage the Honduran people and would be disastrous for American interests in the whole region. (2/6/12)

Note: This article was reprinted with permission of the author. Jorge Hernández Alcerro is the current Ambassador of Honduras to the United States.