Americas News
Zelaya's reinstatement not negotiable, mediator Arias says (Roundup)
Jul 16, 2009, 20:16 GMT
San Jose, Costa Rica - Costa Rican President Oscar Arias, designated to mediate in the Honduran political crisis, warned Thursday that the reinstatement of ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya was not negotiable.
'Any solution (in Honduras) needs to include Zelaya's reinstatement,' Arias said in an interview with Costa Rican radio.
Hours earlier, Roberto Micheletti, the former Honduran Congress speaker designated to head the government set up after the June 28 coup that ousted Zelaya, said he was willing to resign from his post if that brought peace to the country.
But he added the conditioni that Zelaya not be allowed to return to power.
Echoing Arias, Jose Miguel Insulza, the secretary-general of the Organization of American States (OAS), said in Washington that 'there is no other option' than Zelaya's reinstatement.
'He has to complete his mandate in accordance with the Honduran constitution,' he stressed.
The OAS has suspended Honduras until Zelaya is reinstated for what Insulza called a 'violation of democracy.'
'The original sin has to be washed away,' Insulza said, with a dramatic flourish.
Arias met with both Zelaya and Micheletti last week in an effort to find a solution to the crisis. The two Honduran leaders have delegated commissions to represent them in further talks which resume on Saturday.
Arias, awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987 for mediating conflict in Central America, had fairly high hopes for the talks.
'I hope to move forward a lot, although I do not get too excited,' he said.
Inzulza noted however that things must move forward.
'Arias is a patient man but his patience is not infinite and therefore, if at a given moment he thinks this is no longer worth while, he is going to stop making that effort,' Insulza noted.
Zelaya has declared that if the interim government did not allow his return this week, he would declare Arias' mediation efforts a failure.
Arias has proposed a solution to the crisis that involves Zelaya's return; a political amnesty for the crimes that the opposition charges he committed, including corruption, treason and abuse of authority; and the creation of a government of national reconciliation.
It would also require that Zelaya give up his plan to reform the constitution through a referendum.
Looking down the road to national Honduran elections November 29, Arias was confident the situation would return to normal after the national vote.
Since Zelaya's ouster, the new government in Tegucigalpa has been denied recognition by Latin American countries, the United States and the European Union.
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Older Talkback
page: 1
It's despicable that, rather than defending the human rights of Hondurans and Latin Americans, the Obama administration is siding with the Marxist thugs who are trampling on those human rights and working with drug cartels and Islamic terrorist to destroy the U.S!
I guess it was to be expected from Obama. As his parents, relatives, friends and mentors, Obama is a Marxist who hates the U.S. As such, he sides with Marxist dictators and would-be dictators who seek to enslave their countries and destroy the U.S.
Zelaya was implementing in Honduras the scheme devised by Castro and implemented by Chavez and the rest of the Marxist thugs to gain absolute power. Thanks to Clinton, now Chavez and Zelaya have Oscar Arias, whom they can use as a 'democratic' front to get a stronger hold of their prey, the Honduran people!
We pray Hondurans are able to defend themselves from Chavez, Zelaya and Obama, who are trying to enslave them disguised with the sheep's clothing of Oscar Arias.
Also as expected, José Miguel Insulza, OAS secretary general, is helping Castro/Chavez enslave another country. Insulza played an active role in Allende’s Popular Unity, which sought to impose Marxism in Chile, and has been helping Castro and Chavez impose Marxism in Latin America.
Insulza has a long and shameful Marxist record, and has transformed the OAS in a most pernicious organization. Latin America would be much better off WITHOUT the OAS.
With the assistance of Insulza and Arias, Chavez is preparing for bloodshed in Honduras! He has paid operatives in Honduras working to create violence, will continue to pay poor Hondurans to play the role of 'protesters' and will get many of them killed if he gets his way.
Millions of impoverished Venezuelans, Nicaraguans, Bolivians, Ecuadorians, etc. wish we could have done what Hondurans are doing before the Marxist thugs working for Castro and Chavez enslaved our countries like Zelaya is trying to enslave Honduras.
We pray Hondurans are able to defend themselves from Chavez, Zelaya, Obama, Insulza, Arias and other forces of evil who PRETEND to protect human rights and to 'care for the poor,' but are actually trampling on human rights and multiplying poverty, corruption, violence and despair.
page: 1
AntonioSosaJul 16th, 2009 - 20:28:38
As expected, Oscar Arias will NOT defend human rights, he will only PRETEND to do it.
By asking Oscar Arias to “mediate” the conflict, Clinton provided Chavez/Zelaya the perfect cover for them to continue their efforts to enslave Hondurans!
Oscar Arias is a great cover for Chavez/Zelaya to continue their evil work. As a “democratic” figure who has actually not helped democracy but has only PRETENDED to do it, Arias is a great front for Chavez to continue to lie, manipulate, intimidate and force Hondurans to submit to Marxism.
We pray Hondurans are able to defend themselves from Chavez, Zelaya and Obama, who are lying, manipulating and intimidating to force Hondurans to get infected with the AIDS of Marxism.
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