Update 2: The past 24 hours in Honduras Share This /

The showdown in Honduras continues today. De facto President Roberto Micheletti has expressed his willingness to speak with ousted President Manuel Zelaya, who continues to take refuge in the Brazilian embassy. However, the extent of his willingness does not include negotiations that would reinstitute Zelaya as the president of Honduras. With all international airports closed, and border crossings closed or closely monitored, diplomats have not been able to travel to Honduras in order to facilitate negotiations between the two countries, and the standoff continues between Zelaya and Micheletti. The national curfew was extended to 6:00 pm today, however it has been temporarily suspended in order to allow Hondurans to stock up on food and other supplies, signaling that this standoff may not end soon. As promised, here is the latest rundown of the past 24 hours in Honduras. Yesterday's summary of events can be found here.

• On Tuesday evening Micheletti told the press, via a spokesperson of the de facto regime, that he is available to discuss "how to resolve the political crisis," but clarified that dialogue "does not imply the restitution" of Zelaya to the presidency. Micheletti does not believe that Zelaya would relinquish power after the November 29th elections, and he wants "to hear from Mr. Zelaya first, before negotiations, that he's ready to accept the elections on the 29th of November, that he's ready to support the next government." Yet Zelaya has said that he would not accept the results of the elections unless he is allowed to return to power.
• In an attempt to begin a dialogue, unofficial contacts have been established between the de facto government and Zelaya. A spokesman for the Honduran Ministry of Defense, Colonel Ramiro Archaga, said that "they hope the authorities can come to a consensus within the rule of law so that peace and calm return to the country." Reports also state that Zelaya has been in telephone contact with some military leaders who hope to find a peaceful resolution to the crisis. Micheletti told the Washington Post that he was "content this is going on," however he still maintains that he will not cede his office to Zelaya. According to Greg Grandin, "a communiqué issued by the National Front Against the Coup reports that some businessmen and military leaders who supported Zelaya's overthrow are leaving the country."
• International delegations have not been able to enter Honduras. As reported yesterday, all international airports are closed, the nation is under a strict curfew, ports can only be used for commercial needs, and the majority of land-based border crossings are closed. This has kept diplomats from other countries, and the Organization of American States, from entering the country in an effort to help commence a dialogue between the two parties. OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza is being advised not to travel to Honduras unless his security is guaranteed, and Micheletti has stated that he does not want Insulza, or any other diplomats previously involved in negotiations, to come to Honduras. Despite criticism from Micheletti, Costa Rican President Oscar Arias reaffirmed that he is available to continue as the mediator between the de facto government and Zelaya. He assured that "despite Micheletti's words, his closest collaborators have recently confirmed his desire to continue in the process in which the Costa Rican president acts as the mediator."
• Brazil called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to address the crisis in Honduras. Brazil's letter to members of the Security Council said it is concerned "with the safety of President Zelaya and with the security and the physical integrity of the (Brazilian) embassy premises and personnel." Because Brazil is not a member of the Security Council, the United States agreed to relay its message to the UN body.
• The Embassy of the United States and the United Nations are supplying food, water and other supplies to the Brazilian Embassy, where electricity, water, and telephone service remain off and approximately 180 people are taking refuge, along with Zelaya. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said yesterday that "our embassy in Tegucigalpa is in contact with their counterparts in the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa and we're discussing what kind of assistance that we can provide to help them during this crisis." Last night, some of those who were inside the Embassy were allowed to peacefully leave and return to their homes. El Nuevo Diario reports that one 8 year-old child died in the Embassy from asphyxiation from the tear gas thrown by the Honduran military and police to disperse supporters congregating around the embassy.
• Zelaya claimed that the de facto government was going to storm Brazil's embassy on Tuesday night, kill him, and call the death a suicide. He announced to his supporters in an interview with TeleSur that "I, Manuel Zelaya Rosales, son of Hortencia and José Manuel, did not kill myself, I am alive, fighting for you principles with determination and I prefer to die determined, than on my knees before this dictatorship. That this remains very clear before those tyrants who want to govern the country with the armed forces."
• The curfew was initially extended until 6 pm today, however it was briefly suspended from 10 am to 5 pm today for Hondurans to stock up on food and other needed supplies, because "there are many Hondurans that are without food in their homes." Banks, supermarkets and gas stations are open today and the de facto government is asking that people go "calmly and peacefully to the different shopping centers, supermarkets and gas stations so that there are not disturbances." This is the first time Hondurans are able to leave their homes since 4 pm on Monday, and it would not be surprising if the curfew is extended again today, after allowing citizens to stock up, in an effort to maintain control over the capital city and keep Zelaya supporters from taking to the streets. Reports are already being released that long lines are forming at supermarkets, gas stations and banks as people try to stock up on everything before the curfew resumes at 5:00 this evening.
• Buses transporting Zelaya supporters to the capital are being detained in route. According to reports, the supporters are being detained for various hours before being released. Journalists and other members of the media are being advised to wear their identification in a visible place, or they will too risk being detained. When the curfew is in place, it is being enforced even in neighborhoods, where locals are congregating not to protest, but to enjoy help pass the time. One report cites police closing a billiards room where neighbors were hanging out. One report cites the number of wounded at 89, with at least 1,000 detained and held in the baseball stadium in Tegucigalpa.
• Details are not clear regarding how Zelaya was able to get into Honduras without alerting the de facto regime. The details of Zelaya's journey that have emerged so far report that on Sunday, a Venezuelan government jet took him from exile in Nicaragua's capital, Managua, to El Salvador for a brief stop, before taking off again to an unknown destination. It is reported that Zelaya was in El Salvador on Sunday evening for a meeting with the FMLN. While Salvadoran President Mauricio Funes is from the FMLN party, he did not meet with Zelaya and did not offer the ousted Honduran president access to the presidential room in the airport, in an attempt to distance himself from the actions of his party. The leader of the opposition party ARENA in El Salvador, however, is placing the blame on the FMLN for what is now going on in Honduras. Donato Vaquerano says the FMLN "facilitated State resources to help mobilize Mel Zelaya" and assured that "if there are deaths in Honduras the blame, in part, falls on the FMLN."
• Diplomats continue to make statements against the coup government and in support of the safety of Zelaya and the others inside the Brazilian Embassy, and continue to call for the reinstatement of Zelaya to the Honduran presidency. The Rio Group, an international organization of Latin American and Caribbean States, "demands that the de facto authorities immediately cease acts of repression against the population and human rights violations against all Hondurans, avoiding worsening the crisis that is challenging the country." The Mexican House of Representatives has agreed to send a delegation to Honduras in order to help find a solution to the current political crisis, and to regain peace and limit violence in the country.
• The National Resistance Front against the coup has called for a march today from the Universidad Morazán to the Brazilian Embassy, acknowledging the risk of such a march and saying that "whatever happens, happens." With the temporary suspension of the curfew in Honduras, many more Hondurans are likely to take to the streets in support of Zelaya.
• According to the New York Times, hundreds of Honduran soldiers and riot police have cordoned off a large area around the Brazilian embassy, some in ski masks and toting automatic weapons.
• Many news outlets are suggesting that Zelaya timed his return to coincide with the United Nations General Assembly in an effort to garner international support. So far, this is working. Many Latin American leaders are taking to the floor to address the General Assembly today, and Honduras was a common denominator in many of the speeches: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva:

  We are not wishful thinkers. Yet it takes political will to confront and overcome situations that conspire against peace, development and democracy. ...Unless there is political will, we will see more coups like the one that toppled the constitutional president of Honduras, Jose Manuel Zelaya, who has been granted refuge in Brazil's embassy in Tegucigalpa since Monday. The international community demands that Mr. Zelaya immediately return to the Presidency of his country and must be alert to ensure the inviolability of Brazil's diplomatic mission in the capital of Honduras.

  Chilean President Michelle Bachelet:

  There is no longer any justification for violating the principle of liberty and democracy in the name of justice or equality. Procedural democracy is part of the ethical and political baggage of the international community in the twenty-first century. And little by little we have started to reinforce this principle at the level of nations. My Latin American region has been able gradually to build a single vision, which has enabled it, for example to come rapidly to the aid of any threatened democracy, as was the case in Bolivia one year ago, or to strongly condemn democratic setbacks, such as occurred in Honduras a few months ago. For this reason, we with today to reiterate our appeal for immediate acceptance of the San José Agreement promoted by the Organization of American States. Honduras deserves free and democratic elections, with the constitutional President leading this process.