the congress adopted the law on the referendum, and this states that haunt -- this law may be used for everyone, except for the examination of the budget affairs, fiscal or economic matters. or international treaties. then what is the point of this? is this about asking -- what is the point of this? i was engaged in an exercise in keeping with the law, the first legal act of my government, that we approved as we entered into power. this is an instrument that was necessary. of course, many changes were

made it to this act of legislation. the law was eventually passed. concerning citizen participation. citizens of the country have the right to requestthat they be consulted on matters which a ffect them. i have received 400,000 requests wfrom people who asked -- reforms i will not carry out because it will not be my cabinet or government that will be in power at that time. i received those replies, and

sought to launch a public opinion poll in order to find out what the hundred people's opinions were. this also constituted a crime. is not binding. -- it is not binding. in my own country, a polling entity. their surveys -- they are surveys to find out what the public is thinking. it is not binding or coercive in any way. and a judge declared, of course, his arm was twisted because the plot was already under way.

a judge declared that this survey was illegal. only the congress can repeal a law. and the law is a commitment as it guarantees human rights. all constitutions and all of your countries -- the united states, too. they all contain an article that no law, mandate, or resolution can diminish or impair the guarantees that the constitution grants to the citizens of this country. the guarantees are an inherent part of our natural rights. people have shed blood for centuries and centuries in order for this to be stipulated into law. nobody can change this. the congress cannot undermine

the rights of the people of the united states. these are laws which cannot be repealed by any instance. nobody can declare that a consultation or a survey of the citizens is illegal. it reduces our rights and our constitutional guarantees. this is a violation of the law. it is an act undertaken in the context of being a coup d'etat. this is what the judge ruled. as a result, he was detained and violently expelled from the country. my country has now been in the state of paralysis for nearly

three days now. buses carrying passengers have been fired upon. 160 people today have been injured. arrests were made on the streets. ministers have been detained, forced into exile. 140 people have been beaten. people have taken to the streets. companies have gone on strike. all forms of workers -- teachers are no longer going to the schools, declaring a general strike until the rule of law that they voted for has been restored.

military officials wearing green uniforms have occupied all of the surrounding environment, playing music loudly to avoid answering any questions. a crime has been committed. a crime against humanity. a cry which we all reject, the respective of where it occurs. -- your respective -- irrespective of where it occurs. mankind returns to its primal state where everything is reduced to a forest -- to force. when i received this invitation from you, i feel ever more deeply committed to humanity.

i do not believe man is man's worst enemy. it is true we compete amongst ourselves, but we're also each other's brothers. we can use the good that is within the individual. there are those to seek -- and who seek to wake the evil -- and there are those who seek to wake the evil. we need to ensure that these acts are not repeated anywhere in the world. i am concluding on sunday last, 15,000 boxes had been circulated.

15,000 cardboard boxes had been circulated for the opinion poll to collect the polls lips -- poll slips. we thought we would reach 1.5 million individuals. there are no telephones in the rural areas of honduras as there are in sweden and in switzerland, where you can pull using the telephone. there are villages and outlying areas in honduras that difficult to reach. vary widely dispersed rural areas, where people lack access of communication. how do we serve their opinions. as the armed forces refused to distribute the material necessary for the survey, they refused to do so.

but the workers, the unions, the laborers, representatives, indigenous people groups said that we will disseminate the papers. and this was once again a crime i wish to call for march -- once again a crime. i wish to call for a march in honduras. their freedom of movement was interrupted. these people were rolling -- and were willing to distribute the equipment necessary for the surveys, and were able to do so in 24 hours which would have

ordinarily taken six months time. however, the congress stated that the oas was not welcome to observe the process. there were ambassadors of all countries that were credited to observe the survey. there were television programs that were broadcasting how the survey would proceed and the peaceful conditions -- there'd be no violence. i have always opposed the use of arms and violence by personal conviction. at 2:00 in the morning when the program had ended, i was speaking with the people who

have been involved in this polling in order to see what the first breakdown was. to see what the general trend was. after first breakdown of pulling the sea with the percentages were 4 yes and for no, to see what the answers were to the questions that have been placed on these slips of paper, the questions were as follows. do you wish to seek a fourth unused -- urn used? there were questions concerning national interest and citizen participation, the possibility of a fourth urn in the next elections. i will be leaving at the end of

my term, but i wish to leave the people newly empowered and with new rights. the 0.5 years ago, might election slogan was empowering citizens. three more literacy programs, that is how to achieve it as an empowerment. the survey was for that purpose. the first law that was adopted was to meet that objective. how can we make up for the shortcomings caused by inequality. how can we strengthen our citizens. when you have a strong citizenship, people that are self aware, then you have strength. then you have greater justice. if you leave the door open to those who are afraid of the people, then there are

injustices. the people that participated in the french revolution were among the first to rise up. we decided back then that power belongs to the people. if we no longer believe in that, let us refrain from speaking of democracy. democracy is the people. although the study the subject have come to the conclusion that democracies are to the people. -- democracy starts with the people. the question was, do you wish to see a fourth urn at the upcoming elections in order to consult with the people as for the next government, there would be an assembly in place to revise the constitution and ensure open participation for the honduran people.

that was what was to be explained in a referendum -- in the referendum. even stones can be transformed. this is not creating any new obligations on the state. it was simply an option for the people to launch an initiative in congress. i was exploiting this on the television, on the radio, speaking until 2:00 a.m.. it was 4:00 in the morning by the time i went home. i wish to be the first to place my slip. at 7:00 in the morning, when the consultation with finally began

the survey would be launched,@@ but instead i had only been asleep for about one hour after ending work, and i live in a house which is in the center of a middle-class area. this is a small house, and i was asleep. i have no other house. i lived land -- i own land, and a telephone, i am cattle rancher. my house is looking directly onto the streets. i was awoken by shouts, pounding

against the door below, screaming. i awoke and rose, still in my night clothes. the entire contingent of armed officials with helmets, rifles, push to get into the street, jostling me -- it pushed me out into the street. jostling me. those are moments i do not wish to remember, because it breaks my heart to see humanity slide backwards. i wonder, is this what it has come to? have i forced myself to go up against barbarity? there were rifles pointed at me.

that is when i heard the rifle shots begain. what i saw the kenner 15 individuals who work for me, -- the 10 or 15 individuals who worked for me, the watchmen came and began to break down the doors of my house. my 21-year-old daughter lives in my house. the domestic workers below. i ran downstairs, as i said, it might close -- in my night clothes. i saught to hide from the bullets being fired.

i could hear rifle shots, and then once the hinges on the door gave way, they entered. i still have my mobile phone in my hand. i was trying to call at it for people of what was going on. -- call and inform people of what was going on. eight rifles were pointed at me. heavy rifles. wearing full combat gear with rifles and bayonettes aimed at my breast. i was told, dropped the mobile phone or we will shoot. this is a military order. it dropped the phone. drop-in or we will shoot. dropped the phone.

-- drop the phone. the mobile phone was ripped from my hand. i said, if you have been ordered to shoot me, shoot me. if it is your order to execute me, did not make me suffer any longer. just do it. they grabbed my arms and said, we're taking you away. i was put into a vehicle, and 15 minutes later, i was born on an airplane. 45 minutes after that, i was in costa rica. i was dumped at the airport still wearing my clothes -- my night clothes. . i cannot talk about this to my daughter because i choke up from rage and pain.

[applause] >> the president met me at the airport. a country hwere no -- where no coup de tat has occurred. this is one of the oldest democracies in the americas other than the u.s. they have no army. army. i began to receive telephone calls from old presidents as i told you earlier. i wondered, is this the democracy we are trying to fight

for? this barbarity? our wheat reverting to the age of dictatorship? -- are we reverting to the age of dictatorship? i fought in my country because i was against the disappearances', for the families of the disappeared. there are people still fighting to find where it remains of their loved ones are. dictatorships repress it as has been the case. a dictatorship has been established. repression has been established in the country. i fought for the reversal of this system. the people fought for the

overthrow of this system but the delete refuses us. when pressure is exerted, instead of trying to find a legal path, a correct approach, brute force is used instead. once again, state crime resumes. i was the first to condemn these acts. i don't want you to see me as a president that wants to return to his country simply because he is president. for me, being an instrument is nothing more than being in internment to provide services. it has no significance other than that. there is an individual who is my ancestor to said what important in life is about having dignity,

self satisfaction, joy, in doing a job well. at whatever level as long as you find satisfaction in doing a job well, being president is an important opportunity to provide these services. but i do recall and the rights that i have struggled for, for my children, my grandchildren, future generations. this poet stated the problem with the world is that laws are always in active but the rich and powerful and that is why there is always so many poor people because they did not participate. we firmly condemn with all of our strength these acts.

i was conducted and forcefully exiled from my country. we condemn what has taken place in honduras. if this president remains in power cannot i cannot imagine how presidents around the world can feel imagining that armies might rise up when somebody says something or does something they are opposed to. distinguished investors, there is no law in my country allowing for the ousting of president. there was no trial to condemn a president. this was one of the reforms that we were envisioning, the possibility of an impeachment if the president is found to fail. it is the people who are the judge. the congress does not appoint a president. congress may appoint a member.

this is the right of the people. once again, nowhere does the congress of point the president. your humble servant is elected by the people to serve the people. it is a right that the people deserve and in joy. we are mandated by the people on behalf of the people to serve and to aid the people. these crimes must not go unpunished. i am a christian and that always for gave even those that have hurt me. dignity of the nations will not forgive this act of barbarism that has occurred in my country

and which has undermined the gains that we have achieved with such difficulty, with such effort, and with love. in the gettysburg address statement, the government of the people, for the people, by the people shall always prevail. this is what we say, this is what the citizens of the 21st century say. it is what the citizens of all nations around the country say and what you have said. [applause] >> the delegation has requested to remain seated.

[captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2009] >> nex ift, -- next, president

uribe talks about hsi relationship -- his relationship with the u.s. ,then admieral gary roughhead and a discussion about iran's presidential election. tomoorrow, the heritage foundation looks at obama's trip next week. and we will bring you the president at a town hall meeting where he will talk about his health care reform plan. you can watch the coverage at 1:15 eastern, on c-span. >> house c-span funded? >> publicly funded? >> donations? >> to the government?

>> they get their funding through taxes. >> some kind of public funding? >> i do not know. >> 30 years ago, the american cable companies created c-span as a public service. no government mandate, no government money. >> alvaro uribe came to washington to talk with president obama. he spoke at the woodrow wilson center, and is introduced by lee hamilton. this is one of our. -- one hour. >> please be seated. my p