Ousted Honduran leftist Manuel Zelaya and the interim government of Roberto Micheletti signed a pact late yesterday.
The agreement will allow the Honduran Congress to determine the fate of the ousted leftist leader.
The AP reported:
Representatives of ousted President Manuel Zelaya finally reached an agreement with the interim government that could help end the monthslong dispute over Honduras’ June 28 coup, and possibly pave the way for Zelaya’s reinstatement.
The Organization of American States announced the deal late Thursday but did not release a text of the accord, in which Zelaya appears to have agreed to throw his fate into the hands of a congress that has largely supported interim President Roberto Micheletti.
“We are optimistic because Hondurans can reach agreements that are fulfilled,” Zelaya told Radio Globo, an opposition station. “This signifies my return to power in the coming days, and peace for Honduras.”
The agreement, if it holds, could represent a much-needed foreign policy victory for the United States, which dispatched a senior team of diplomats to coax both sides back to the table.
Speaking to reporters in Islamabad, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called it “an historic agreement,” noting “this is a big step forward for the inter-American system.”
The agreement appears to soften Micheletti’s previous stance that the Supreme Court — which has already rejected Zelaya’s reinstatement — decide the issue. Instead, the high court would make a recommendation, but the final decision would apparently be left to a vote in Congress.
The Honduran Congress and Supreme Court both sided against Zelaya in June.
It’s hard to see how the Honduran Congress is going to change their minds now and reinstate the Chavez wannabe as president.
American Thinker has more.
More… Power Line adds this, via Chisum:
It is perfectly fitting that the signal diplomatic triumph of President Obama’s first year in office is the restoration to power of the lawfully deposed Honduran thug and friend of Fidel Castro, Daniel Ortega and Hugh Chavez. It is inimical to the national interest of the United States. it is a setback for the supporters of democracy in the beleaguered country of Honduras. And it is a defeat for those who believe in the rule of law. It is, in other words, a triumph of “smart diplomacy.”
Fausta says the Honduran Government caved to pressure from the Obama Administration.