Talks offer as riots rock Honduras
The Age
Thursday September 24, 2009
HONDURAS' de facto leader has offered for the first time to hold direct talks with ousted President Manuel Zelaya to resolve a political crisis, even as soldiers laid siege to the embassy where he has taken refuge.But Roberto Micheletti, president of the interim government that took power after a June 28 coup, said Mr Zelaya must first accept elections to choose a new president on November 29."I am ready to talk with Mr Zelaya, as long as he explicitly recognises the presidential elections," he said.Mr Micheletti has said he will step aside after presidential elections on November 29. Mr Zelaya is constitutionally barred from standing for a second term.Mr Micheletti's offer came at the end of a day of rising tension in which soldiers fired tear gas to disperse about 4000 Zelaya supporters who gathered at the Brazilian embassy in support of the ousted president and in defiance of a curfew.The de facto government responded to the challenge by cutting electricity, water and telephone lines to the embassy in the centre of the capital, Tegucigalpa.Airports were also closed and a curfew extended as human rights organisations accused the de facto government of carrying out mass arrests, injuring and even killing supporters of Mr Zelaya.The crisis prompted a flurry of statements from regional leaders, with Ecuador calling on the Micheletti government to ensure "the life and physical wellbeing of President Zelaya".Mr Zelaya, speaking to Venezuelan television station Telesur, accused the Micheletti government of planning to "seize the embassy" to capture him.Micheletti denied the claims and accused Mr Zelaya of "lying to the whole world and particularly Hondurans"."We have not considered, nor will there be, a raid on the embassy to capture Mr Manuel Zelaya," an official said.Mr Zelaya returned to Honduras on Monday, three months after being ousted in a military-backed coup, prompting the stand-off that has coincided with world leaders gathering for the UN General Assembly.In New York, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva pledged his support to Mr Zelaya, defying calls to give him up. AFP
© 2009 The Age
