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Zelaya reaches deal with opponents in Honduras

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The Washington Post

Published: October 31, 2009

WASHINGTON - Four months after he was ousted by the military, Honduran President Manuel Zelaya reached an agreement with his opponents that could restore him to office and end a political crisis that has roiled the hemisphere, officials said Friday.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, traveling in Pakistan, hailed the accord as a step forward for Latin America after months of political paralysis. She had sent a high-level diplomatic team to Honduras this week.

The secretary general of the Organization of American States, Jose Miguel Insulza, said Friday he was confident the accord would lead to Zelaya's return to the presidency within days.

The deal, which must still be approved by the Honduran Congress, brought a close to months of intransigence by leaders of the de facto government. After President Manuel Zelaya's expulsion from the country June 28, the new government had steadfastly refused to accept his restoration to office, despite sweeping international condemnation, isolation from its neighbors and multiple rounds of failed negotiations.

Roberto Micheletti, the head of Honduras' de facto government, relented Thursday after senior Obama administration officials landed in the Honduran capital to take charge of the talks, reassuring both sides that the United States would remain engaged in the coming months to ensure the terms of the deal were not violated.

If the Congress agrees, Zelaya would serve out the remaining three months of his term. Moreover, control of the army would shift to the electoral court, and the presidential election set for Nov. 29 would be recognized by both sides. Neither Zelaya nor Micheletti will be candidates.

The agreement provided an important lesson on Latin America for the Obama administration, officials close to the talks said. For months, the administration had resisted driving the negotiations to resolve the crisis, positioning itself as just another member of a regional coalition that included both its allies and adversaries throughout the hemisphere.

Information from The New York Times and The Associated Press was used in this report.

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