Costa Rica
President Oscar Arias Said He Wants To Avoid
Civil War In Honduras As Meditation Talks
Fail
The mediation efforts of Costa Rican
president, Oscar Arias, failed to reach an
agreement by the parties designated to
resolve the Honduras political crisis.
Shortly after 3:30pm. the delegations broke
off the talks, saying only there was no
consensus.
President Arias refused to questions of the
press, saying only that the mediation talks
would resume in three days, allowing for
time to "talk to a lot of people". Arias
said he wants to avoid a civil war in
Honduras, something that the "Hondurans do
not deserve".
Both sides began talks on Saturday
demonstrating hostility towards one another.
The representative of interim president
Roberto Micheletti, Carlos López, called the
Arias proposal laid out on Saturday as an
"imposition" and "a meddling in the internal
affairs of Honduras". In addition, calling
Micheletti a "de facto" president did not
sit well with the delegation.
Saturday Arias opened the mediation talks
saying that it was imperative that Zelaya be
returned to power, something that did not
sit well with the Micheletti delegation from
the moment it was heard.
On the other side of the table, Rixi Zelaya,
representing Honduran president Manuel
Zelaya, said their counterparts are
"uncompromising and inflexible".
The delegation representing Zelaya said it
would abandon talks being held here if the
post-coup government does not accept
mediators' proposals.
"We are going to sit down and see if the
coup-mongers accept the proposals made by
President (Oscar) Arias, if they don't
accept, dialogue is over," Aristides Mejia,
a spokesman for Zeyala's delegation, said to
the media.
Mejia traveled to Nicaragua on Saturday and
met with Zelaya and consulted him about
Arias' proposals. Zelaya said that no
secondary points should be discussed ahead
of the main issue: Zelaya must be returned
to office, according to Mejia.
Rixi Moncada (right), heading the Zelaya
delegation talking to the press after
Sunday's failed talks.
Mayi Antillon, the ministra de la Prensa
(left), listens to Carlos López, who
heads the Micheletti delegation. An
anonymous source says that López requested a
three day recess from the talks to analyze
the Arias proposal.
Costa Rica's President Oscar Arias (R)
speaks with Rafael Alegria (C),
representative for deposed Honduran
President Manuel Zelaya, and Carlos Lopez
(L), head of the delegation for Honduras'
interim President Roberto Micheletti, after
negotiations in San Jose rival failed to
strike a deal on Sunday to solve the
country's political crisis after two days of
talks. [Foto: Juan Carlos Ulate]
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