On Monday, the Obama administration issued its first substantive comments on the removal of Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo, saying it does not believe his ouster constitutes a coup. Speaking to reporters in Washington, State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said the United States is concerned over the events in Paraguay but has not yet determined whether Lugo was removed illegitimately. Nuland also says no decision has been reached on whether to recall the U.S. ambassador to Paraguay, James Thessin. In addition, Nuland confirmed Lugo had met with Thessin on Thursday, the day of Lugo’s impeachment. A 2009 diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks shows U.S. officials believed Lugo’s opponents were planning to remove him through the same channels as they did last week. The cable described Lugo’s opponents’ “goal” as: “Capitalize on any Lugo missteps to break the political deadlock in Congress, impeach Lugo and assure their own political supremacy.”