UNITED NATIONS – Costa Rican President Oscar Arias says he was surprised by the sudden, secret return to Honduras of ousted President Manuel Zelaya, a move that has thrown a wrench into the talks he’s been shepherding.
Zelaya was removed from his office in June and despite statements from those involved in the revolution that they were trying to uphold the nation’s constitution against Zelaya’s plans, the United Nations and the White House refused to recognize the change.
Arias, the 1987 Nobel Peace Prize winner, has been trying in vain to broker a resolution since summertime.
This week in New York to attend the 2009 U.N. General Assembly, he was visibly irritated when the issue of Honduras was raised, following reports Zelaya has taken refuge in a Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa.
There have been reports of protests and accompanying injuries and arrests, as well as the closure of airports, roads and border crossings.
Arias said he is trying to fend off any further deterioration of the situation by urging both parties back to the negotiating table:
“Well, I have sent messages to both parties in Honduras for them to re-initiate the dialog in San Jose. I think the two parties need to dialog. I think the only solution on the table now is the San Jose accord,” he said.
“I would not like to see any more violence in Honduras … the consequences of more violence could be bloodshed and I think it would be much more civilized if we restart the negotiations under the San Jose accord.”
“So, I have invited both foreign ministers of the defacto government as well as the Zelaya people to re-initiate this dialog,” he said.
Arias confirmed that he, like many others, was taken by surprise by Zelaya’s latest move:
“No, I didn’t expect it. It was quite a surprise for me. In a way, it is a violation of the San Jose accord because he was supposed to come back only after many other items were agreed to and implemented.
“But if he is now back there, now more than ever, it is necessary for us to reconvene the parties and restart the dialog,” Arias told WND.
He said such actions make it difficult to continue to act as a middleman.
“To be a mediator is always a difficult job. To keep the confidence of both parties is not easy. If I am a little bit critical of whatever is happening there, I might lose the confidence, but I am accustomed to that,” he said.
“If I can still be helpful I am going to try. … I feel it is quite urgent for the two parties to sit down at the negotiating table within the San Jose accords,” he said.
Arias also explained he is ready to resume negotiations as early as Friday if both parties agree.
The president insisted the Organization of American States (OAS) still has a role to play:
“I just spoke to the secretary-general today. We had lunch together and we are convinced that only way is the subscription of the San Jose accord and both the OAS as well as myself are encouraging the re-negotiations.”
Zelaya was taken by members of the Honduras military from his home on June 28 and put on a plane to Costa Rica. They accused him of attempting to violate their own nation’s constitutional limitation to one term for a president.
While President Obama has condemned the action as a “coup,” the military quickly stood down and in place of Zelaya a member of his own political party was named by legislators to replace him.
Since then there have been arguments over Zelaya’s actions, the military’s response, and whether the result still is a democratic system.
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