From the ArcaMax Publishing, News & Features Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/newsheadlines/s-643475-429015
WASHINGTON (UPI) -- A U.S.-negotiated pact to return deposed Honduran
President Manuel Zelaya to office may become ineffective due to the
Honduran Congress' delay, officials said.
The United States has tried to end Honduras' political crisis in time
for the Nov. 29 presidential and congressional elections, but the
Honduran Congress is taking its time to consider whether it will allow
Zelaya to return to complete his term of office, which is necessary
for his viability in the upcoming election, McClatchy News Service
reported Thursday.
At a news conference Wednesday in Washington, Eduardo Enrique Reina,
the Honduran ambassador to the United States, said the de facto regime
of interim President Roberto Micheletti seems to have its own
interpretation of the accord and called Congress' refusal to meet "a
stalling technique."
"This is being drawn out. They should be able to do this. They're just
trying to buy time until the election, seeking to defy the
international community. To not reinstate him is not something that's
acceptable," Reina said.
Besides the congressional vote, the American agreement provides for
establishing a unity government and creating a committee to safeguard
that the accord will be followed and the election results respected.
A "no" vote by the Honduran Congress poses grave risks for the
country, as tourists have stayed away and foreign commerce has
suffered, the news agency said.
The agreement with the U.S. means that the Obama administration will
recognize the winner of the election, regardless of whether the
Honduran Congress votes to restore Zelaya, the State Department's top
Latin America diplomat, Tom Shannon, said.