In advance of her meeting today in Guatemala with President Porfirio Lobo, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday sent a letter to the US Congress formally notifying it that the State Department will be restarting its aid program to Honduras. "I have just sent a letter to the Congress of the United States notifying them that we will be restoring aid to Honduras," Mrs. Clinton told reporters Wednesday at a press conference in Costa Rica where she was visiting with outgoing President Óscar Arias. Following the ousting of President Manuel Zelaya on June 28, 2009, the US suspended more than US$30 million in economic assistance as punishment for what it viewed as a military coup d'état. The State Department, however, was unwilling to go through the process of officially declaring Mr. Zelaya's removal a military coup d'état. Had it done so, it would have ceded to Congress the authority to restart aid, thus hindering its ability to quickly restore the program. Secretary Clinton's letter of notification does not require Congressional approval. (3/5/10) (photo of Hillary Clinton courtesy Internet)
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