Costa Rica To
Play Key Role In Resolving Crisis in
Honduras
Costa Rican president, Oscar Arias, has been
called upon to be mediator between ousted
Honduran president, Manuel Zelaya and the de
facto president, Robert Micheletti, at the
request of US Secretary of State, Hilary
Clinton.
Arias said he was honoured to called upon to
speaker between the two parties, receiving
calls from both presidents and Clinton.
The talks are scheduled for Thursday at the
Arias home in Rohrmoser, where both Zelaya
and Micheletti will meet face to face.
Joining the talks will be Costa Rica's
foreign minister, Bruno Stagno, the ministro
de la Presidencia, Rodrigo Arias (the
president's brother) as well as a delegation
by Zelaya and Micheletti.
"We call upon all parties to refrain from
acts of violence and to seek a peaceful,
constitutional and lasting solution to the
serious divisions in Honduras through
dialogue," Clinton said at the State
Department after meeting with President
Manuel Zelaya.
The Obama administration had been reluctant
to take too active a role in the first days
afte the ouster, preferring instead to give
the lead to other OAS members. But both
sides have been eager for the United States,
which has strong economic and political ties
in the impoverished country, to play a
bigger part.
President Obama, in a speech in Russia on
Tuesday, said that America "supports now the
restoration of the democratically elected
president of Honduras, even though he has
strongly opposed American policies."
Zelaya said in a Honduran radio interview
that his reinstatement is "nonnegotiable,"
and that the subject at the talks would be
"the exit of the coup leaders."
Micheletti said that it remained the new
government's position that the leftist
president cannot return. "We are going to
dialogue, not negotiate the return of
ex-President Zelaya, who can only come back
if it's to face trial," Micheletti said at
the presidential palace after swearing in
additional members to his new Cabinet.
The de facto government accuses Zelaya of a
litany of crimes, including abuse of power
and an illegal attempt to change the
constitution.
Zelaya's aborted attempt to fly into
Tegucigalpa on Sunday, blocked when the army
placed vehicles on the runway, led to riots
in which at least one demonstrator was
killed.
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Costa Rican
president, Oscar Arias, speaking to the
press from his private home in Rohrmoser
where the mediation talks will take place.
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