Extreme right US senator Marco Rubio and Xiomara Castro and Mel Zelaya in a corner of the photo. Photo: RedRadioVE.
During a US Senate hearing regarding the nomination of Laura Farnsworth as new US ambassador to Honduras, US extreme-right Republican Senator Marco Rubio said he hoped the President of Honduras, Xiomara Castro, would not follow the example of her husband, former President Manuel Zelaya, and align Honduras with Cuba and Venezuela.
“I hope that the new president Xiomara Castro follows that path, and not the example that her husband provided when he was president and sympathized with Hugo Chávez in Venezuela and Raúl Castro in Cuba,” said the anti-communist senator. Analysts surmise that Zelaya’s drift to the left was the cause of the US-backed military coup d’état that overthrew the president in 2009.
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During the hearing, Farnsworth stated that one of the most important issues on her agenda is that Honduras continues to be an ally of Taiwan. This seems highly improbable, due to the weakening of the US economy and the strengthening of China as an international economic and geopolitical powerhouse, particularly in Latin America. Taiwan’s nationhood is not recognized by the United Nations (UN) because is a province of China. Only 13 countries, including Honduras, currently recognize Taiwan and maintain diplomatic relations with the entity. This prevents Honduras from enjoying relations with China.
Taiwan is a model of what the US desires for Asia, added Rubio. He encouraged Farnsworth, should she be chosen for the post, to apply her diplomatic expertise to the issue.
Finally, Marco Rubio said that he trusts that Honduras, under the government of Xiomara Castro, will implement common sense reforms that are receptive to foreign investment—a euphemism for Honduran subservience to Washington.
“If more things are manufactured in nations like Honduras, closer to our country, we will have a more secure supply chain that will depend less on interruptions from other regions of the world,” said Rubio, demonstrating his ignorance regarding the current fragility of the capitalist system.
To date, no response from the president of Honduras or the Honduran Foreign Ministry has been reported.
Featured image: Extreme-right US senator Marco Rubio, with Xiomara Castro and Mel Zelaya in a corner of the photo. Photo: RedRadioVE.
(RedRadioVE) by Patricia Ferrer with Orinoco Tribune
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
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