Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Honduran Congress considers accord

An agreement to end the month's political unrest in Honduras went before Congress, political Amnesty and national elections on the table.

The 128 deputies of the country's unicameral legislature will decide whether to grant a period of political Amnesty for both sides in the conflict, and to go on national elections scheduled for November.

The two issues are among the items included in the so-called San Jose Accord - a proposed deal to bring an end to the political standoff, which escalated after the elimination of President Jose Manuel Zelaya on June 28. United Nations and the Organization of American States condemned the coup that plunged Zelaya out of the country and has called his reinstatement as president.

But Roberto Micheletti, who was named president of the Honduran Congress after Zelaya was awarded, have argued that actions of this day - when the military Zelaya came home and transported him out of the country - was not a coup, but a constitutional transfer of power.

Micheletti appealed directly to critics in an op-ed published Monday in the Wall Street Journal, expressing support for the mediation efforts leading to the San Jose Accord, which none of the parties have signed.

"The way forward is to work with Costa íshokkí President Óscar Arias," he wrote, referring to the mediator in the negotiations.

For its part, Zelaya remained camp since the fourth day in Nicaragua near the Honduran border. He briefly checked in Honduras over the weekend before turning around, and has promised to return to their homeland.
Source: CNN.com