"NO DEAL" In
Honduras Crisis Mediation Talks In Costa
Rica
The two days of meetings on the Honduras
political crisis held at the private home of
Costa Rican president, Oscar Arias, ended
last night with no solution, although more
meetings are promised.
On Thursday deposed Honduran president,
Manuel Zelaya, and the defacto president,
Roberto Micheletti, never met face to face,
leaving the mediation talks up to their
representatives, who broke off talks on
Friday for being distant in their positions.
Although the meeting did not yield results
Arias had anticipated, he said last night
that it was a great advance as both sides
had a "frank and direct dialogue".
"Both sides have agreed to continue talks as
soon as possible ... to resolve the crisis,"
Arias said. He expects a date for more talks
to be set within days.
Micheletti's representative, former Honduran
foreign minister Carlos Lopez. thanked Arias
for his mediation, and said the interim
government is ready to attend further
meetings. He said the delegates expect to
find a solution to the conflict under the
framework of the Honduran constitution.
Meanwhile, Zelaya's representative, Milton
Jimenez, also a former foreign minister,
reaffirmed Zelaya's position of not
accepting other options but his
reinstatement. Jimenez said Zelaya's
delegates will attend the coming meetings
mediated by Arias, with the participation of
a delegation formed by teachers, peasants
and union workers.
Zelaya's supporters rallied in Honduras on
Friday, calling for the return of the ousted
president.
Thousands of protestors blocked the road
linking the country's main city of
Tegucigalpa and the country's economic
capital San Pedro Sula for about two hours.
Demonstrations also reportedly took place in
some other parts of the country.
What
World Leaders Think of The Honduras Crisis:
"Micheletti should have been arrested in
Costa Rica, and the United States should be
exerting more pressure on Honduras to return
Zelaya to power", Venezuelan
president, Hugo Chavez said yesterday.
Jose Miguel Insulza, secretary general of
the Organization of American States (OAS),
on Friday criticized the "inflexibility" of
the negotiators. Insulza told Radio
Cooperativa de Chile the negotiation teams
"lacked the will to discuss the issue."
Obama told the media in Moscow on Wednesday
that "America supports the restoration of
the democratically elected president of
Honduras, even though he has strongly
opposed American policies". |
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The Arias brothers (Costa Rican president,
Oscar Arias, and the Ministro de la
Presidencia, Rodrigo Arias) talking to the
press at the end of the mediation talks on
Friday. |
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