Honduras: US State Dept. condemns 'coup d'etat', curtails aid

Frustrated by the continued intransigence of the Honduran regime that ousted President Manuel Zelaya, the U.S. State Department followed through Wednesday on threats to cut off aid to Honduras. "Restoration of the terminated assistance will be predicated upon a return to democratic, constitutional governance in Honduras," the State Department said in a statement. Calling Zelaya's removal a "coup d'etat", the U.S. also stated that it would not recognise the results of the scheduled November presidential elections in Honduras under the current circumstances. The State Department did not elaborate on the aid cutoff, and there were conflicting reports as to exactly how much aid was being terminated. A U.S. official told Reuters that the total cuts were over 30 million dollars, while the New York Times put the total at around 22 million dollars. The board of the Millennium Challenge Fund, which currently provides about 135 million dollars to Honduras, will discuss whether to cut off its aid next week, the Times reported.