State Department Daily Press Briefing - July 28, 2009 (Honduran visas revoked!)

U S State Department ^ | July 28, 2009 | Ian Kellu

[don-o]

First, I want to make a quick statement that we will also issue. The Department of State is currently reviewing the diplomatic visas or A visas of individuals who are members of the de facto regime in Honduras, as well as the derivative visas for family members of these individuals. We have already revoked diplomatic visas issued to four such individuals. These individuals received their diplomatic visas in connection with positions held prior to June 28th under the Zelaya Administration, but who now serve the de facto regime.

And with that – well, I’ll just also there is a press conference, as you know, a joint press – well, there’s a couple press events this afternoon connected with the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue. There will be a joint event with the four co-chairs, and then Secretary Clinton and Secretary Geithner will have a press conference followed by a press conference by the Chinese principals, so --

QUESTION: Back on the visas?

MR. KELLY: Back on the visas.

QUESTION: Yeah. How many visas are under review?

MR. KELLY: Well, we’re currently reviewing the – we’ve revoked four visas.

QUESTION: And when did that happen?

MR. KELLY: I believe it happened today or maybe late yesterday. And we’re also reviewing all of the A visas of individuals who are a member of the de facto regime in Honduras as well as the derivative visas of family members of these individuals.

QUESTION: Do you know how many that is?

MR. KELLY: Well, we’re review – I don’t have an exact number of all of the A visas that we’ve issued. I just know that we’ve revoked four. And these visas were revoked down in Tegucigalpa by the U.S. Embassy.

QUESTION: So those four visas, were those people actually here and they’re having to go back?

MR. KELLY: No. These are – as I understand it, these are people who are serving in the de facto regime down there.

QUESTION: There? Okay.

MR. KELLY: Yeah.

QUESTION: And the visas here, these are for people who are already here?

MR. KELLY: We haven’t – yeah. You know that visa information is confidential, so we’re not --

QUESTION: But Ian, you can’t come out and open this briefing by saying that you’ve revoked visas and you’re revoking others --

MR. KELLY: Yes, I can.

QUESTION: -- and then say “I can’t talk about visas.”

MR. KELLY: I can’t – no, of course I can talk – I can’t talk about who exactly (inaudible).

QUESTION: He’s not asking who they are. He’s just asking for the number.

QUESTION: And I’m trying to get --

MR. KELLY: I said four. We revoked four.

QUESTION: I’m trying to get a feel for whether any of the visas that have been – that you are – I mean, you said that the four that have been revoked are all people who were in --

MR. KELLY: As I understand it, yeah.

QUESTION: -- Tegucigalpa, as you understand it.

MR. KELLY: Yeah, who are serving the de facto regime now.

QUESTION: In Tegucigalpa?

MR. KELLY: Yeah.

QUESTION: My question is --

MR. KELLY: Who are (inaudible) --

QUESTION: My question is: Of the visas that you are now reviewing, are any of those people here – i.e., if you revoke them, they’re going to have to go back --

MR. KELLY: Yeah.

QUESTION: -- or are they – or not?

MR. KELLY: Right.

QUESTION: That’s my question.

MR. KELLY: I don’t have that specific information. But if I can get it, we’ll give it to you.

QUESTION: That would be helpful.

MR. KELLY: Yeah.

QUESTION: I mean, the number and where they are --

MR. KELLY: No, I understand that. That’s a perfectly fair question.

QUESTION: And then last question, just a simple why?

MR. KELLY: Why?

QUESTION: Yes.

QUESTION: Yes.

QUESTION: Just so we have a --

QUESTION: Can you explain?

QUESTION: To us, explain why are you doing this?

MR. KELLY: Well, as you know, we don’t recognize Roberto Micheletti as the President of Honduras. We recognize Manuel Zelaya. And so in keeping with that policy of non-recognition, we have decided to revoke official diplomatic visas or A visas of four individuals who are members of that regime, the regime of Micheletti.

QUESTION: This is a way of – is this a way of – I mean, you could have done this, obviously, at any point subsequent to Zelaya’s removal. Are you doing this to ratchet up the pressure on the Micheletti government?

MR. KELLY: Well, I don’t think I would characterize it that way. But what we are doing is we’re trying to do everything that we can to support this process that was begun by Costa Rican President Arias and their negotiation efforts. These actions that we’re taking are consistent with our policy of the non-recognition of the de facto – of the regime of Roberto Micheletti.

QUESTION: And why didn’t you do it earlier, I guess is the question? I mean, it’s been over a month.

MR. KELLY: Well, I mean, we – I mean, it is what it is. We did it today. I – like I say, I don’t think I would see it necessarily as a turning of the screw necessarily. It’s something that we’ve done. We’re reviewing all of our bilateral programs with Honduras. Now, you know that we’re reviewing and we have suspended certain assistance programs that go – that are directly in support of a – of the regime down there.

QUESTION: And could you give us an update on who you’re speaking with, if anybody, down in Tegucigalpa?

MR. KELLY: We are – right now, we’re – as I said, we’re very focused on supporting President Arias. I know that the Embassy down there is in communication with the authorities in Honduras and in encouraging them to support the process. I don’t have a – sort of a detailed chronology of who exactly we’ve contacted, but I know that our Embassy is in contact with the authorities down there.

QUESTION: Ian, why shouldn’t we see it as, to use your phrase, a “turning of the screw”?

MR. KELLY: Well –

QUESTION: How else can one see it?

MR. KELLY: Well, it’s – fair enough. It is part of our overall policy towards the de facto regime down there. We know that – or you know that we have a policy of not recognizing the administration of Roberto Micheletti. And it’s just – it’s a step that we’ve taken to be consistent with our policy.

QUESTION: And one – one other on Honduras. I’m well aware that the Legal Adviser’s Office was examining whether the events in Honduras technically met their definition of a coup and therefore would trigger the cutoff in aid that I realize you have already suspended.

MR. KELLY: Yes.

QUESTION: Have you yet reached a determination on that question?

MR. KELLY: I’ll have to get you an update on that.

QUESTION: Ian?

QUESTION: This doesn’t mean that you’ve decided or that that review is coming to an end?

MR. KELLY: I – just like I say, I just need to – I’ll need to get you an update on that. I think in general, in terms of just to follow on to what I said before about our contacts with the regime down there, I know that our Embassy is urging the Honduran congress to send a strong signal of support for the Arias accords and for President Arias’s efforts to provide a democratic solution to the Honduran crisis. So I just wanted to add that we are trying to – we are urging the Honduran congress to support the Arias plan or the San Jose accords.

Yeah, Dave.

QUESTION: For review, what is this – what is the status of the Honduran Embassy here in D.C.? Are you having any dealings with them? Are you considering revoking their visas and sending them back?

MR. KELLY: Yeah, I’m just – I’ll have to take that question. I’m not sure of the exact details of that.

[dervish]

sickening.

They said about Carter that he never met a dictator he didn’t like; Obama never met a dictator he didn’t LOVE.

[MadMax, the Grinning Reaper]

Too many leftists, fools, and stooges in the State Department. Time to thin the herd. Get rid of all the Clintonoids, Goreites, and Obamanuts.

Oh, I’m just dreaming. Used to be a time when I could trust the State Dept (had good men in Vietnam and Cambodia). Now I wouldn’t trust my cat with any of them.

However, we need a good investigative report on who is who in the SD from Comrade Hillary to her hitman Craig, etc.

You’ll be surprised who is advising Obie. His Middle East crew includes the son of a Soviet agent of influence. Ain’t that just nice?

[MadMax, the Grinning Reaper]

Don’t agree about revoking visas of Americans living in Honduras.

First of all, we have about 800 troops helping train the Honduran Army. Our troops are patriotic Americans and the Hondurans respect them. That is good for America.

Americans who live or work in Honduras are, in the main, friendly to the country and people. We need their voices to tell Obama and his marxists and the leftist media what is actually going on down there, and how much support the new government has among the people.

We need to keep Honduras open as an issue of how the marxists in the Obama administration are trying to betray another ally. Israel is watching as is Taiwan/ROC, and So. Korea.

We need reliable sources of information on American and Cuban and Venezuelan communists infiltration of Honduras because we don’t know if we can trust the State Dept./Embassy people to do it. I suspect that many SD people are really pissed at Obama and Hillary but cannot do anything because their jobs would be in jeopardy.

Leaks would be nice.

Americans here must maintain contact with Americans in Honduras, just as Iranians in the US kept in contact with Iranian demonstrators in Tehran. It gives us a window into reality, as well as showing support.

Watch OBAMA and HILLARY and possibly GATES threaten to withdraw US troops and to cut off weapons, training, and other supplies if the Commie Zelaya isn’t restored as dictator-in-training.

Watch Honduras tell these idiots to take a flying f*ck!

[Red Steel]

Just wait it out Honduras. Obama and the Dims will be gone out of the White House in 2012.

[agere_contra]

<individuals who are a member of the de facto regime in Honduras

The regime in Honduras is de jure as well as de facto. It is legal as well as a fact.

[cookcounty]

Apparently Mr. Kelly did not get the memo about Transparency......

............Or maybe he did, but the memo isn't what we think it is.