United States and Honduras Inaugurated Naval Base on the Caribbean Coast

The United States deepens its policy of meddling in Latin America, now with a new military base in Honduras, with the endorsement of the current government of Porfirio Lobo. The governments of the United States and Honduras today inaugurated a naval base in northeastern Honduras, the state of Gracias a Dios on the border with Nicaragua, with the stated purpose of fighting drug trafficking.

Photo: United States and Honduras Inaugurated Naval Base on the Caribbean Coast

The U.S. ambassador Hugo Llorens told the ceremony that his country has invested two million dollars in construction, in addition to donating four vessels and facilitating advisers. Llorens said the base has a multifunctional building and an operations center that contributes to increasing the capacity to house more personnel and a dock for mooring patrol boats.

This installation has a tactical and strategic presence to stimulate the localization of drug trafficking throughout the northeast coast of Honduras, he said.

The base will be under the command of the Naval Forces of Honduras, assisted by officers from the U.S. Army Southern Command, official spokesmen informed.

With the Colonel Soto Cano air base in Palmerola, in the central state of Comayagua, the United States also has the capacity for the landing of large jets because of the extension of its runway.

At the ceremony, president Porfirio Lobo Llorens wished to convey to the U.S. president, Barack Obama, "the thanks for this magnificent contribution, which is a big step in fighting drug trafficking." The state of Gracias a Dios, also known as La Mosquitia Honduran, is considered the poorest in the country.

It is necessary to mention that although the White House has denied any support for the coup against the constitutional president Manuel Zelaya, the base of Palmerola was the place where Zelaya, was driven, initially, after the kidnapping he suffered on June 28, 2009.

Source: Resumen Latinoamericano

http://www.resumenlatinoamericano.org

Translated from the Portuguese version by:

Lisa KARPOVA

PRAVDA.Ru