Honduras de facto leader dampens hope of Zelaya deal
TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) – Honduras' de facto leader Roberto Micheletti appeared to back away on Wednesday from a proposed deal to resolve a political crisis sparked when the army ousted President Manuel Zelaya in a coup.
Zelaya's lead negotiator Victor Meza had earlier said the two sides agreed on the wording of an agreement, and the army chief said a resolution was near.
But negotiators who met later with Micheletti in the presidential palace in Tegucigalpa said no final deal had been reached on the central issue of reinstating the leftist Zelaya, who was toppled in a June 28 coup.
"The dialogue on this point has been cordial and both sides have made important advances. However, at this moment, there is no final agreement on this point," they said in a statement.
The coup triggered Central America's worst crisis in years. It has become U.S. President Barack Obama's first major test in Latin America after promising better relations with the region.
The central issue in negotiations this week is the return of Zelaya to power, but Micheletti, a veteran politician who took office after the putsch, said on Wednesday that the Supreme Court would have to decide the future of his rival.
"As I understand it, Zelaya is asking that Congress determine if he can return or not," Micheletti said. "But it is the Supreme Court that has to decide."
The proposal put together by negotiators is also believed to contain plans for a interim government with representatives from both camps.
Army chief Romeo Vasquez, a key figure in the coup, said a deal appeared close. "I know that we have advanced significantly, we are almost at the end of this crisis," he told local radio HRN.
HOLED-UP IN EMBASSY
Zelaya was toppled and forced into exile by soldiers but slipped back into Honduras last month and took refuge in the Brazilian embassy in the capital to avoid arrest.
On Wednesday, he met with negotiators in the embassy to review the proposed deal. "The final edition of this text is in discussion," Zelaya told reporters.
A wealthy rancher who wears a cowboy hat, Zelaya angered powerful conservatives when he was in power by building close ties with Venezuela's socialist President Hugo Chavez and toying with reform of the constitution, possibly to allow re-election for presidents.
The United States and other foreign governments have condemned the coup against Zelaya and threatened not to recognize elections called for November 29 if democracy is not restored before that date.
Heather Berkman, an analyst for political risk consultants Eurasia Group, said the looming elections had increased pressure on the de facto government to find a solution.
"The real concern of the political and economic elites is that the international community will not recognize the elections," Berkman said earlier on Wednesday.
The reinstatement of Zelaya would be a Latin American foreign policy victory for Obama, who came out against the coup in a break with past U.S. policy that tacitly supported the ouster of leftist presidents in the region.
Socialist leaders such as Chavez have said Obama needs to push harder to bring back Zelaya. At home, Obama has been criticized by Republicans for sticking by the leftist president
See also: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/10/14/honduras.political.turmoil/
Source Atlas Shrugs
This bad news folks...very bad news! And why was it not blasted all over the radio and television? Do you think Obama and company may have had something to do with it? Ya'all be careful now hear! ~ Norman E. Hooben ...geeesh, things are really get bad out there!
Honduras to Restore Ousted President, Chavez Proxy Zelaya
Due to the relentless pressure from Obama. Zelaya's coup on the Honduran constitution was illegal. Perhaps Obama hopes to replicate the same thing here. US media is not yet reporting this....................
Honduras to restore ousted president. New Age (hat tip Kenneth)
Honduran negotiators reached agreement on Wednesday on a plan to restore President Manuel Zelaya to office and end a political crisis triggered by his ouster in a June coup.
"We have agreed in a document on point number six, which relates to the restitution of the powers of state to where they were before June 28, 2009," Victor Meza, Zelaya's representative, told a news conference.
Restoring the state to the situation before the coup would imply Zelaya's return to office, something that had been opposed by Robert Micheletti, the head of the coup-backed interim government.
Micheletti and Zelaya must now ratify the agreement reached by their representatives in talks Tegucigalpa.
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In effect, The Constitution of Honduras was just negated.
Clearly, they will vote him out - if the fix is not in. Previously at Atlas: Busted: Corrupt Zelaya Fixed Election Results for Vote that never took place
Obama backed the Chavez backed Zelaya coup.
What happened in Honduras was nothing short of the preservation of their democracy. Their president, Zelaya, tried to usurp the will of the people (sound familiar?).
Take this hypothetical: Imagine Obama announced that he was going to hold a referendum on legalizing a third term for himself. Imagine that even his attorney general Eric Holder advised him that it was illegal. Imagine that the Supreme Court ruled that holding the referendum was unconstitutional. In spite of that, let's imagine that Obama coerced the FEC to hold the referendum anyway. Then we found out that the referendum was being financed by Hugo Chavez. What should the Joint Chiefs do? That is exactly what occurred in Honduras to a tee. The Honduras Attorney General and their Supreme Court did exactly that. Their Generals did what they had to.
I hope it's another false report, Norm. Honduras deserves better.
ReplyDeleteJust today Micheletti was saying only the Supreme Court could agree to reinstate Zelaya.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20091015/wl_nm/us_honduras_12
Honduras is the last stand of Democracy. If it falls back to Zelaya, I expect strong retribution and no election under "emergency orders," of course.
I don't know, Norm.
ReplyDeleteA google translated page and may be difficult to understand, The negotiators of the ousted president, Manuel Zelaya, announced an agreement which is later denied by Micheletti
The untranslated page, http://www.elpais.com/articulo/internacional/dialogo/Honduras/enreda/elpepuint/20091014elpepuint_15/Tes
See also from CNN: End to Honduras crisis? Not so fast, negotiator says
ReplyDeleteSomething seems to be missing in this whole thing...
ReplyDeleteWhy do they need to negotiate anything at all? I thought their Constitution pretty much spells it out.
Norm
Since this began, Norm, it seems only the Hondurans respect their constitution. Obama and his cartel of socialists sure don't.
ReplyDeleteMost of our 'news' reports have been very slanted and biased against the Hondurans, as can be seen in labeling Michiletti as a "de facto" leader instead of what he really is, the "interim" leader.
He cannot ever run for president again, having occupied the seat these few months.
Another translated page, “Removal of Zelaya was constitutional:” UN
And, The Background, Myths, and Ironies of the Current Political Situation in Honduras
Hugo Chavez has a heavy hand in what is happening in Honduras, trying to force is buddy Zelaya back into power for what, 2 or 3 months if they follow the Honduran constitution?
Zelaya has been calling for insurrection inside Honduras. What sort of person is willing to stage a bloddy civil war for just 2 or 3 months back in office?
If he seizes control again I expect to see him invoke "emergency powers" with the aid of Chavez's Troops and possibly Nicaraugua as well.
I wouldn't be a bit surprised that our own 'boy king' would order our troops to back Zelaya, while he still can't make a decision on reinforcing Afghanistan.
The world is turned upside down, Norm. I never thought I's see American leders leaders supporting socialist dictators like this.
Did you catch the part where they said,
ReplyDelete"This confirms that there was no coup and strengthens the position of President Barack Obama, who never rushed to judge the situation in Honduras, as did Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who rushed to condemn the Honduran people, pressed by foreign ministers the OAS, "he said."
Obama was one of the first to rush to judgement check out his own words here: (although I expect someone will ultimately remove the video)http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8125292.stm