Honduran stalemate goes on

Could there be a negotiated end to the crisis in Honduras? It seems like a long-shot but there have reportedly been some slight hints of “dialogue” in the Central American state.

While still bunkered in the Brazilian Embassy in Tegucigalpa, ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya said that he had been visited by a representative of de facto President Roberto Micheletti on Wednesday and they held “informal” talks. He further claimed that the talks “made no progress, but he called the meeting ‘the beginning to find peaceful solutions.’"

Yet acting deputy foreign minister Martha Lorena Alvarado told BBC News that the discussions had nothing to do with allowing Zelaya to resume the presidency. Moreover, Zelaya said in an interview with CNN en Español Thursday night that he rejected an offer was made by the aforementioned representative to allow a third person to takeover the presidency. The offer was “not acceptable” since he was the elected leader of Honduras, said Zelaya in the interview with Daniel Viotto.

In the meantime, protestors for and against Zelaya took to the streets of the capital city as Hondurans remain divided on who should be in charge:

"I'm supporting the democracy," (pro-Micheletti Congressman Antonio) Rivera said. "We don't want dictatorship here. We don't want Chavez. We don't want Zelaya back in our country"…

"Zelaya was elected as our president. Micheletti is the imposed president, forced on us by the rich and the powerful," (pro- Zelaya protester Cristina Rivera) said.

The U.N. Security Council will convene on Friday in a special emergency session to discuss about the Honduran crisis.

Image- Reuters (“A supporter of Honduras' ousted President Manuel Zelaya tries block the road with rocks during a protest in Tegucigalpa September 24, 2009.”)
Online Sources- Reuters, BBC News, CNN, NPR, Xinhua, The Telegraph