Deal Reached in Honduran Coup Crisis; Zelaya Restoration Would Depend on Vote by Honduran Congress

In Honduras, the coup regime and representatives of the ousted President Manuel Zelaya have reached an agreement that could end a four-month old political crisis. The two sides signed an agreement late Thursday that would pave the way for Congress to restore Zelaya to office and allow him to serve out the remaining three months of his term. Zelaya, was ousted in a military coup on June 28th and flown into exile.

The head of the coup regime, Roberto Micheletti, said the agreement would create a power-sharing government and require both sides to recognise the result of the November 29th presidential elections. It would also create a truth commission to investigate the events of the past few months.

Micheletti and Zelaya held talks separately on Thursday with Tom Shannon, the US assistant secretary of state, and Dan Restrepo, Washington’s special assistant for Western Hemisphere affairs. As the negotiations were underway Thursday, a rally by hundreds of pro-Zelaya protesters in Tegucigalpa was broken up by police who fired tear gas.

Zelaya told Radio Globo that today “will be the day that the plan will be signed to restore democracy to the country.” Zelaya remains holed up at the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa after re-entering the country in late September, two months after he was forced from the presidential palace and flown to Costa Rica.

We go now inside the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa to speak with Andres Conteris, the Program on the Americas director for Nonviolence International. He also works at Democracy Now! en Español. He joins us on the telephone, welcome to Democracy Now.

Andres Conteris, Program on the Americas director for Nonviolence International. He also works at Democracy Now! en Español.

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