TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) — The foreign relations minister in Honduras' interim government says he has sent a letter to Barack Obama apologizing for a racial comment he made about the U.S. president.

Enrique Ortez says the letter expresses "his most profound apologies" for "an unfortunate comment."

In a TV interview, Ortez said Obama "is a little black man who doesn't know where Tegucigalpa is located."

Ortez says the remark made before he was named to the post was not meant to offend anyone.

oh , sure - why would anyone be offended by being referred to as "a little black man"?

Honduras is a country of huge social and economic inequalities, with 50% - 60% percent of the population living in abject poverty while a small clique of priviledged elites runs the country and its institutions, and completely dominates the business class, political sphere and military ranks. It's hardly surprising that this oligarchy is also racist.

When threatened with possible economic reforms that could lessen their privileges, this ruling class reacted violently to remove the President and preserve them, and of course they raised the specter of their own version of the Great Satan, President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, in an absurd attempt to justify their coup d'etat on the grounds that Honduras is threatened by communism and therefore any and all undemocratic actions are okay to stop it.

When poor Honduran farmers are offered free tractors by Venezuela, as opposed to the offer of abuse and brutal repression, and cancellation of voting rights and curtailment of civil liberties by their own rulers, who could blame them for acting in their own interest and accepting the more generous offer? Yet the Right screams of Chavez' interference in other states' affairs, and his desire to subvert their governments.