 Day
22
Click here for all
the stories from day 1
Honduras Society Divided As Crisis Talks
Continue
Tegucigalpa - While waiting earnestly for
the result of the crisis talks in Costa
Rica, the Hondurans remain divided over the
return of their former president Manuel
Zelaya -- a pivotal point for any solution
to the political deadlock in the Latin
American country.
Half of the Hondurans support Zelaya's
return, but the rest do not want him back.
On Saturday, the sympathizers for the
deposed president staged a new protest in
Tegucigalpa to show their support, while the
opposition groups also gathered to ask for
"peace and democracy" in several cities in
the country.
In Costa Rica, the commissions are trying to
find a solution to the crisis, which has
lasted since June 28 when Zelaya was removed
and forced into exile and substituted by the
then parliament speaker Roberto Micheletti.
The two sides agreed to resume the
deadlocked talks on Sunday after a new round
of negotiations ended without any
achievement on Saturday in San Jose.
Manuel Torres, a political analyst in the
country, said "the return of president
Zelaya is not negotiable, it was a coup
d'etat and the only solution to it is his
return."
Juan Ferrera, coordinator for Honduras'
anti-corruption council, held that "at the
end of the meeting, probably none of the
commissions will be entirely satisfied.
Possibly both of them will have to give up
something."
Costa Rican President Oscar Arias, the
mediator of the Honduras crisis, proposed on
Saturday a power-sharing reconciliation
government and moving up the November
elections as a solution to the current
political crisis in Honduras.
The proposal was rejected by Micheletti.
"They want to restore President Zelaya
without any negotiation ... That is not
viable," said Mario Saldana, spokesman for
Micheletti.
But both the supporters for Zelaya and those
for Micheletti are looking forward to an
earlier solution to the crisis as the
country at this moment is practically
isolated from the rest of the world.
The economic effects of the Honduras crisis
are turning evident. The country's
international trade is not working well.
Most elementary and high schools are not
having classes because teachers are on
strike. Hospitals are working at their
maximum capacity and rumors about the talks
are flying.
The Hondurans are constantly listening to
the radio or watching television in hopes of
good news. However, many people fear that
for a developing country like Honduras, the
real effect of outside blockage could be
seen several months after the solution is
found. |
