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Honduran rivals fail to meet face to face

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-07-10 16:13

MEXICO CITY: Ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya and post-coup leader Roberto Micheletti met Thursday with Costa Rican President Oscar Arias respectively in San Jose, but Micheletti swiftly left the country, squashing all hopes of a face-to-face meeting between the two rivals.

Honduras' ousted President Manuel Zelaya (L) talks with Costa Rican President Oscar Arias in front of Oscar Arias's residence in San Jose, capital of Costa Rica, July 9, 2009. [Xinhua]

Honduran post-coup leader Roberto Micheletti (L front) waves to journalists as Costa Rican President Oscar Arias (1st R) stands by in front of the latter's residence in San Jose, capital of Costa Rica, July 9, 2009. [Xinhua]

Arias, a Nobel Peace Prize winner in 1987, was accepted by both parties to serve as a mediator in the talks.

The gathering was scheduled for two days. But it ended with the naming of four commissioners on each side to continue the talks shortly after Micheletti left Arias' home. Noticeably, Zelaya and Micheletti were not able to bring themselves to speak to one another.

Speaking to the press after his meeting with Arias, Zelaya demanded "the re-establishment of law, democracy and the return of Honduras' elected president."

Micheletti told reporters, as he left Arias' home, that he was "satisfied" with the talks, but did not go into details. He left directly for the airport.

Zelaya, who was seized in his bed by heavily armed troops and forced to leave the country by plane, has received the backing of the United Nations, the Central American Integration System and a host of international bodies.

Micheletti, who took power after claiming to the Honduran legislature that Zelaya had resigned due to poor health, has failed to receive any international recognition from other countries or international organizations.

Related readings:  Low expectations for talks to end Honduran crisis  Honduran interim leader accepts mediation  Ousted Honduran leader to meet with Clinton  Honduran coup not to last long: Brazilian FM  Zelaya's plane circles Honduran runway, can't land

Micheletti's presence in Costa Rica sparked protests from students there, who went to the streets close to Arias' home, a one-story suburban dwelling with few security guards.

"There is nothing to negotiate," said the University of Costa Rica's student union head. "The only appropriate thing is to restore Zelaya."

In Honduras, Zelaya's wife, Xiomara Castro, led a series of rallies, which have attracted thousands of people and blocked streets and highways.

Castro, who had fled to the US embassy when soldiers kidnapped her husband and has been hiding from one place to another since then, told the media:

"Our presence is like having the president here, like he is standing firm."

There have been reports of four deaths as police broke up separate protests against the change of leadership. Micheletti's supporters have also protested, but without any official intervention.

One outsider - the United States - looms large at the talks. US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton warned Zelaya not to try to return home without an agreement.

The United States has a long history of friendship and support with Honduras' military, but it too has condemned the coup and cut off a military aid of $16.5 million this week.

Arias, a regional icon after helping bring several wars to an end in the 1980s, remained positive.

"It seems to me that there is willingness on both sides to seek a negotiated settlement through diplomacy, through dialogue," Arias told media early on Thursday.

However, Jose Miguel Insulza, secretary-general of the Organization of American States, raised the specter of worse consequences if the talks founder.

"If the Honduran crisis is not resolved, it could leave the door open for other coups in Latin America," said Insulza in Washington.