The government coup in Honduras could inspire other armies in Latin America to follow suit, causing a domino effect, warns Óscar Arias Sánchez, Nobel Prize Winner and President of Costa Rica.

On Sunday the deposed Honduran president Manuel Zelaya may return to his country, where a week ago he was driven from power by the army.

Mr Arias issued his warning in an exlusive interview with RNW's José Zepeda. His position on Honduras is clear: Latin America cannot tolerate the military coup, since it could encourage other countries on the continent to try the same:

"It is an unacceptable setback and if we don't take action it could create a domino effect. Military forces in other countries in the region may want to follow the example. The law governs democracies, not individuals, and in this case a few men deposed Manuel Zelaya with brute force."

International pressure
President Arias received the deposed Honduran president in Costa Rica last Sunday. In the aftermath of the coup, Mr Arias was the first Latin American leader in the region to immediately stand up in defence of democracy and the rule of law. He emphasises the need to exert international pressure on the new rulers in Honduras. The Costa Rican president also points to the importance of the United States, who should pressure the Honduran army and calls the US a historic ally.

"There has always been a very strong bond. I witnessed this during my first term in office. With diplomatic pressure, especially from the US government, it is possible to turn the tide. But if this doesn't happen within the first few days, it will keep becoming more difficult."

The use of armies
Óscar Arias Sánchez has always been a fervent defender of democracy. He questions the use of armies in Latin America. Very rarely are soldiers deployed to protect the sovereignty of their country, he says. Usually they only mobilize when a coup is about to take place, such as in the case currently in Honduras.
 

Mr Arias thinks the coming hours will be decisive for Honduras and for all of Latin America: what happens in Honduras will be a turning point for the history of the continent.
 

"The ideological differences are not important. Democracy - which has somewhat sprouted its roots in Latin America - has to be upheld. The Cold War is behind us and we don't want to return to the black days of the dictatorships."

All countries in Latin America have condemned the coup, along with the European Union and the US. Latin American nations have issued a trade boycott against the small Central American nation.

Leftist course
The conservative forces in Honduras considered Manuel Zelaya a danger to the status quo in the country. Mr Zelaya slowly but surely led the nation into leftist pragmatism and was fostering closer ties to leftist counterparts in the region, such Hugo Chávez in Venezuela, Evo Morales in Bolivia and Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua. A majority of the Honduran population appears to support the coup against President Zelaya.
 

Shadow
The situation in Honduras could well be decisive for the future of democracy in Latin America. The continent is still haunted by the shadow of a past in which military dictatorships were the order of the day.
 

Photo: Wikipedia Commons