Is there a deal in Honduras? (Updated)

Update (11:00pm):

The possible return to power of Manuel Zelaya may not have been agreed upon by negotiators for Zelaya and de facto ruler Roberto Micheletti. "

To the moment, there is no final agreement on Zelaya's reinstatement" read a statement from the Micheletti camp which contradicts remarks made by a de facto government official earlier on Wednesday.

Original Post:

The political impasse between the two sides claiming to be the legitimate government of Honduras may soon come to an end.

Representatives for ousted president Manuel Zelaya and de facto ruler Roberto Micheletti have reportedly agreed to resolve one of the main sticking points between both camps – whether or not to return Zelaya to power. "I am optimistic by nature," said Zelaya representative Victor Meza according to AFP over the proposed pact permitting Zelaya to go back to the presidency over three months after he was removed in a coup.

Envoys for both camps had agreed to most of the points in the San Jose Accord brokered weeks ago by Costa Rican President Oscar Arias yet Micheletti steadfastly refused to permit Zelaya’s return to power. According to the AP “there was no immediate comment from Micheletti representatives” though it has also been reported that most of the Arias deal would be agreed upon:

The deal would include a truth commission to investigate the events leading up to the coup and a committee to ensure that both sides live up to the agreement. It also requires Zelaya to give up his efforts to change the Honduran constitution, an initiative critics said he intended to use to extend his term in office by abolishing a ban on presidential re-election. Zelaya denies that was his plan. Soldiers flew him into exile after he ignored a Supreme Court order to cancel a referendum to ask Hondurans if they wanted an assembly to rewrite the constitution.

One of the sticking points could be who will get the final say regarding Zelaya and the presidency. Micheletti previously claimed that the Supreme Court has the last word even though the justices clashed with Zelaya before he was ousted. In addition, Meza didn’t mention if Zelaya would finish his presidential term which ends in January.

Image – AFP (“Riot squad officers are seen behind a Honduran flag”).
Online Sources- AP, The Latin Americanist, Reuters, AFP,