Talks on aimed at resolving Honduran crisis begin (1st Lead)

Jul 9, 2009, 19:40 GMT

San Jose - Meetings aimed at ending the political crisis in Honduras began Thursday at the home of Costa Rican President Oscar Arias.

Arias, who has taken on the role of mediator, hosted ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya and his challenger Roberto Micheletti in separate meetings.

Zelaya arrived first at Arias' home in the Rohrmoser neighbourhood of San Jose and met with him for over an hour. Arias then met separately with Micheletti. The three were later to discuss the crisis together.

Micheletti, the former Honduran Congress speaker who was designated to head the government set up after the June 28 coup that ousted Zelaya, remained at San Jose airport for more than an hour, demanding 'security guarantees,' and refused to leave until these were met.

Micheletti said he was optimistic that a way out of the ongoing Honduran political crisis could be found.

'I have faith that there can be a solution,' Micheletti said.

Zelaya was less conciliatory when he arrived in San Jose late Wednesday. 'He is a criminal who has beaten down our people and the rights of our democracy,' Zelaya said Wednesday night of Micheletti.

Zelaya, whose ouster was condemned by the international community, stressed that he had not come to San Jose for negotiations on his reinstatement as president.

'I want to clarify that our presence here is not due to any negotiation,' he said. 'It's as if you are invited to negotiate with a criminal who raped your family.'

In Washington, Jose Miguel Insulza, secretary general of the Organization of American States (OAS), reiterated Thursday his support for Zelaya. He said Micheletti should 'accept the return of the constitutional president,' in line with the OAS resolution that suspended Honduras from membership until Zelaya was reinstated.

'In the end we have to get to the return of President Zelaya,' Insulza said. 'Everything else is negotiable.'

The preliminary talks involving Arias, who was awarded the 1987 Nobel Peace Prize for his role in bringing peace to Central America, were set to end Friday.

'The news will be that there was no chance for an agreement, that there was an agreement or that they agreed to meet again. But what is not going to happen is that they spend four or five days talking,' Insulza said.

Following any deal, the OAS will have to decide whether to lift its suspension of Honduras, he said.