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Honduras' de facto leader Roberto Micheletti - Source: Reuters -
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Honduras' de facto government has accepted a deal that opens the
door for the return to power of President Manuel Zelaya, toppled in
a military coup four months ago.
The breakthrough followed renewed pressure from senior US officials
who travelled to Honduras this week for a last-ditch effort to end
a crisis that has given US President Barack Obama a foreign policy
headache.
"It is a triumph for Honduran democracy," the leftist Zelaya said
after the rival sides agreed to a deal that he said should see him
restored to office in the coming days.
Congress still needs to approve his return, but Zelaya said he did
not expect any new setbacks.
"This is a first step. My reinstatement is imminent, I'm
optimistic," he said.
Zelaya was toppled and sent into exile on June 28 but crept back
into Honduras last month and has since been holed up in the
Brazilian embassy with Honduran troops surrounding the building and
his rivals demanding his arrest and trial.
De facto leader Roberto Micheletti, who took over the country
within hours of Zelaya's ouster, had repeatedly refused to step
aside to let the leftist return, but he softened his position on
Thursday.
"I have authorized my negotiating team to sign a deal that marks
the beginning of the end of the country's political situation,"
Micheletti told reporters on Thursday night.
He said Zelaya could return to office after a vote in Congress that
would be authorized by the country's Supreme Court.
The deal would also require both sides to recognize the result
of a November 29 presidential election and would transfer control
of the army to the top electoral court.
If approved by Congress, Zelaya would be able to finish out his
presidential term, which ends in January.
Micheletti said the deal will create a truth commission to
investigate the events of the last few months, and would ask
foreign governments to reverse punitive measures like suspending
aid and cancelling the travel visas of prominent figures involved
in the coup and the de facto government.
End of isolation
The United States, the European Union and Latin American leaders
had all insisted Zelaya be allowed to finish his term and they
threatened not to recognize the winner of the November election
unless democracy was first restored.
A US team led by Assistant Secretary of State Tom Shannon and Dan
Restrepo, Washington's special assistant for Western Hemisphere
affairs, sat in on talks earlier in the day and warned that time
was running out to reach a deal.
The coffee-producing Central American country has been
diplomatically isolated since Zelaya was rousted at dawn by
soldiers on June 28 and flown to exile on a military plane.
Zelaya had angered many in Honduras by becoming an ally of
socialist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Critics also alleged he
was seeking backing to extend presidential term limits, a claim he
denies.
Human rights groups have documented major abuses by the de facto
government and say free and fair elections would be impossible
after Micheletti curbed civil liberties and temporarily shut down
pro-Zelaya news organizations.
Obama cut some aid to Honduras after the coup but had been
criticized by some Latin American for not doing more to force the
de facto government to back down.
At home, however, some Republicans accused him of doing too much
for Zelaya.
The collapse of talks last week prompted Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton to dispatch the US delegation to push again for a
negotiated settlement.
