Tegucigalpa, Honduras - An international delegation arrived in Honduras Wednesday for talks to resolve the political crisis in the Central American country in the wake of a June coup that ousted President Manuel Zelaya. Hopes were high for the talks led by the Organization of American States and being held for the first time on Honduran soil.
Past efforts to end the impasse led by Costa Rican President Oscar Arias have failed. Under Arias' plan Zelaya would lead a government of national reconciliation until after scheduled elections.
Zelaya, in a list of demands made public Wednesday, insisted on his return to the presidency by October 15, and said if this were not possible he would not recognize the presidential elections planned for late November.
The OAS delegation of foreign ministers was headed by OAS Secretary-General Jose Miguel Insulza and included the foreign ministers of Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico and Panama.
Zelaya, who was ousted and sent into exile on June 28, secretly returned to Honduras on September 21 and took refuge in the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa. The international community has refused to recognize the de facto post-coup government led by Roberto Micheletti and has demanded Zelaya's reinstatement.
Insulza said the talks were aimed at a quick and concrete resolution, while Micheletti's Foreign Minister Carlos Lopez Contreras said the de facto government saw the talks as a "internal opportunity."
Lopez Contreras accused the international community of "discriminatory measures" against Honduras and urged them to recognize Micheletti's government.
Micheletti, who was named leader under succession rules after the coup, wants Zelaya to face court charges for violating the constitution by attempting to force a referendum on changes to the constitution, against the opposition of parliament and the country's supreme court.
The de-facto government has refused Zelaya's reinstatement ahead of the planned November 29 presidential election.
