 |
SPECIAL REPORTS |
| |
HONDURAS:
Zelaya's Delegates Urge OAS to Unblock Talks
By Thelma Mejía
TEGUCIGALPA (IPS) - The talks in
Honduras have stalled over the question of
reinstating ousted President Manuel Zelaya,
whose delegates have called on the
Organisation of American States (OAS) to
take steps to keep the negotiations from
failing.
Zelaya's representatives complained that the
de facto government that replaced him after
the Jun. 28 coup is "obstructing" the talks
between the two sides.
"Because of the state of obstruction and
relative standstill of the talks, we are
asking the Permanent Council of the OAS,
which is meeting in Washington Wednesday, to
take stance on the issue and put out a
resolution that would help ensure a solution
to the crisis," said negotiator Víctor Meza,
Zelaya's interior minister.
Zelaya's negotiators hope that at the
meeting, the OAS will reiterate its earlier
demands that the deposed president be
immediately reinstated, and adopt new
sanctions against the de facto regime if it
refuses to budge from its positions.
"While we have provided undeniable
demonstrations of political will, the de
facto regime of Roberto Micheletti is
putting out unacceptable, insulting
proposals," said Meza, after rejecting a
proposal by the de facto government's
negotiators to ask Congress and the Supreme
Court to issue reports on the feasibility of
Zelaya completing his term, which ends in
January.
The reports would be taken into account in
the final decision reached in the talks.
Both the Supreme Court and Congress endorsed
the coup, after Zelaya was removed from his
house at gunpoint by the military and put on
a plane to Costa Rica, still in his
nightclothes.
Zelaya's negotiators argued over the weekend
that because it is a political matter, it
should be up to the legislature to reinstate
the ousted president, although the judicial
branch could offer a legal opinion on the
question, if requested to do so by Congress.
But Micheletti said that because the
question has legal aspects, the opinion of
the Supreme Court is necessary, since it is
in charge of interpreting the constitution.
The two-week talks have reached agreement on
seven of the eight points included in the
San José Accord set forth by Costa Rican
President Óscar Arias in his attempt at
brokering a solution in July. The
negotiators say "95 percent agreement" has
been achieved.
Both sides have agreed to forego an amnesty
for those involved in the coup and the
events that preceded it; to create a truth
commission and a commission to follow up on
any final agreement; and to go ahead with
the Nov. 29 general elections, as scheduled.
Zelaya also agreed not to seek a constituent
assembly to rewrite the constitution – the
catalyst for the coup.
But the talks have now stalled over the
touchiest point: the reinstatement of Zelaya,
Micheletti's delegate Arturo Corrales said
the talks have not been broken off, and that
"there is a new proposal that must be
considered on the basis of elements that are
indispensable in order to decide whether or
not Zelaya's reinstatement is appropriate."
But lawyer Rodil Rivera, who is on Zelaya's
negotiating team, told IPS that Micheletti
"has not demonstrated political will, and is
using the talks as a delaying tactic.
"They want us to accept that there was no
coup d'état, and to sign an agreement
recognising the three branches of power,
post-Jun. 28, as legitimate. That is
outrageous," he added.
"Their proposals would appear to be oriented
towards gaining time, and time gained by the
coup-mongers is time lost to democracy and
the country," said Rivera.
State of siege lifted
On Monday, the de facto regime formally
revoked a decree that had suspended a number
of civil liberties, such as freedom of
expression, association and protest, and had
closed down two media outlets sympathetic to
Zelaya.
The Radio Globo and Canal 36 stations began
broadcasting again Monday, after being shut
down for three weeks by the de facto
authorities, accused of inciting
"insurrection."
However, a more recent decree, issued 10
days ago, specifies that any media outlet
that "incites violence, hatred and sedition"
could lose its operating license. Curiously,
there have been few protests by the media
and press freedom groups over the latest
decree.
The United Nations High Commissioner for
Human Rights sent a team to Honduras over
the weekend to examine human rights
violations committed since the coup, in a
report for the next U.N. General Assembly.
High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi
Pillay said in a statement that the mission
would seek the views of all parties during
its visit, which is to run until Nov. 7. The
names of the mission's members were not
published, for their safety, according to
the U.N. office in Tegucigalpa.
Bertha Oliva of the Committee of Relatives
of the Detained-Disappeared in Honduras told
IPS that "the delegation's visit will allow
us to provide information on the different
kinds of repression that have occurred, and
to ask for support to clarify at least 12
cases of serious human rights violations,
including murders, injuries and serious
threats against human rights activists."
Two months ago, a fact-finding mission by
the Inter-American Commission on Human
Rights (IACHR) reported "a pattern of
serious violations under the de facto
government, including excessive use of
force" against pro-Zelaya protesters,
"arbitrary detention, sexual violence, and
attacks on the media, as well as several
confirmed deaths and possible
'disappearances'." It also documented "an
absence of effective legal protections from
abuse."
In the meantime, amidst threats by the
international community to refuse to
recognise the results of the Nov. 29
elections unless an agreement is reached in
the talks, preparations for the vote are
going ahead in a climate of continued
tension and protests.
Meza said Zelaya's delegates would not sit
down at the negotiating table again until
Micheletti presented "a serious,
constructive proposal," while he stressed
the urgent need for a peaceful solution, to
keep the crisis from getting any worse. |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
