Rivals Edge Toward Talks In Honduras Coup Crisis

The factions fighting for control of Honduras have begun talking days before a meeting that many hope will end a political crisis sparked by Central America's first coup in more than a decade.

Interim President Roberto Micheletti told reporters that a dialogue is "beginning" between his supporters and those of President Manuel Zelaya, who was forced from office on June 28 by a military-backed coup and is now holed up in the Brazilian Embassy in Tegucigalpa.

"We are having talks with different sectors officially, with people from Mr. Zelaya's side and with others," Micheletti said Friday outside the presidential palace, hours after meeting with a delegation of four Republican members of the U.S. Congress.

Zelaya supporters expressed skepticism about Micheletti's willingness to compromise.

"We do not believe in this coup government because they say one thing and do another," said Juan Barahona, who led a protest of about 200 people Saturday at a small, unpaved square in Pedegral, a working-class neighborhood of Tegucigalpa. "The resistance is going to be in the streets fighting permanently against this coup regime. It's our right."...

From a good friend of mine who lives in Roatan...

#####################################################

Sorry no refund policy for Zelaya

In an incredible article, Hondudiario reports that the Honduran political crisis is virtually over. The US State Department and the OAS have decided what the results of the upcoming "dialogue" will be.

I have no idea if this is just someone's dream of what will happen or if they actually have good sources in the State Department, but I'll translate parts of it for you:

*** The OAS mission admitted that the problem should be resolved within the framework of the Honduran laws and not supporting the general election would be a contradiction to the rules of the Department of Political Affairs and United Nations Operations.

The agenda to be dealt with between the Transitional Government of Roberto Micheletti and mission of the Organization of American States (OAS) to arrive in the country this Wednesday does not include the restitution of former President Manuel Zelaya, but a "political pardon, an asylum in a country other than Brazil, and the total support for the November elections", it became known in Washington.

Sources connected with the Department of State of the United States, after considering the various versions of the crisis in Honduras, related the seven points on the unofficial agenda of the OAS mission to hondudiario.com, and that following the visit of several senators to country, confirmed the division in Washington about the Honduras case, where "to call the exit of Manuel Zelaya a coup d'etat is baseless disinformation."

The Hondudiaro article also states that (according to the agenda) Manuel Zelaya and all of his supporters should be given political pardons, but that other charges (corruption proceedings) must deal with the relevant authorities. Hondurans who participated in the physical removal of Zelaya will be given political pardons, but the authorities who permitted the unlawful removal of Zelaya should be judged in Honduran courts.

Hondudiaro goes on to write:

The representatives of OAS, after learning of the "iron defense" of Honduran institutions, advised the mission that will hit the country this week that "what happened in Honduras is an internal problem and its solution should be framed in the United Nations Charter that says in article II paragraph 7, where no provision of this Charter shall authorize the United Nations to intervene in matters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any state nor shall require the Members to submit such matters to settlement under the present Charter".

That the OAS commission will insist that the solution to the conflict in Honduras comes with the signing of the proposal of the President of Costa Rica, Oscar Arias, which is not accepted by the Hondurans because it includes the return of Manuel Zelaya, therefore any solution must be found within the legal framework in Honduras.

They add that the mission should be to faithfully comply with Article 52: in that "Nothing in the present Charter precludes the existence of regional arrangements or agencies whose purpose is to deal with cases relating to the maintenance of international peace and security and susceptible regional action, provided that such arrangements or agencies and their activities are consistent with the Purposes and Principles of the United Nations."

But then confusingly, the article states: "The last statement of the OAS Permanent Council urges immediate signature of the San Jose Agreement, requires full guarantees to safeguard the life and physical integrity of President José Manuel Zelaya Rosales, and supports the efforts of Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza to facilitate dialogue and the restoration of constitutional order in Honduras."

After the failure of the presidents of ALBA, Spain and Brazil to condemn Honduras and reinstate Zelaya, during the recent meetings of the OAS and the UN, it was reinforced that "the San Jose Accord is not written in stone" and may be modified, so that the visit of the committee of foreign ministers will be to strengthen the dialogue table among Hondurans between the parties to be "final" and reach an agreement within a few days.

Hondudiaro continues:

On the other hand, it was confirmed that the OAS Secretary General Miguel Insulza admitted in Washington that the transitional government negotiators do not accept the mediation of President Oscar Arias of Costa Rica after direct and contemptuous insults to the Honduran Constitution.

The former Foreign Minister Patricia Rodas, who still remains in Washington trying to counter this agenda, requested a Special General Assembly of the United Nations so that this body will turn against the General Elections in Honduras.

However, the majority of countries oppose the same as they would protest against any resolution that leads from the operational a paragraph that did not recognize the support of the international community to the next election. This situation was not supported in the past meeting.

"In every conflict, elections are the exit that is most used by the Department of Political Affairs and United Nations Operations, which would be a contradiction," said the informant. --Hondudiario

See the original article here. [Google translation]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm flabbergasted. That is, if this "agenda" is true. I have to say that I've been seeing some happy faces on the news lately that have had me puzzled, so I lean toward believing this report.

But I can't help but think of the incredible damage that has been done to Honduras and Hondurans over the past three months while every international organization has been busy condemning Honduras instead of trying to find out the facts !!!!! and now after 100 days, they decide it is an internal matter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The title of this article comes from the crazy Google translation of the original article title: "Perdón político y no restitución de Zelaya en Agenda de la misión de OEA". This should translate to "Political pardon and no restitution of Zelaya in the OAS mission Agenda."

Instead, Google translated the title to "Sorry no refund policy and Zelaya in Agenda OAS mission"

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.