Zelaya in Washington this week
Ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya is in Washington this week for a range of talks which include meetings with the Organization of American States (OAS) and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Despite the failure of the OAS mission to convince the interim government in Honduras to sign the San Jose Accord last week, both the OAS and the U.S. government still view the negotiated accord as the best, and only, solution to the current situation in Honduras. Last week, OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza announced:
We are going to continue the dialogue and the negotiations, and we will keep our lines of communication open. The message to the de facto government is still very clear: Why cause harm to the population when there is a very clear solution by way of the San José Accord? I hope that this is understood. If there is a good option that is reasonable and that takes into account the interests of all involved in the matter, one that offers all possible guarantees, I don’t see why we should choose a different path. I don’t consider the negotiation closed. President Zelaya is coming next week, the delegation designated by Mr. Micheletti to negotiate is also coming, there will probably be a new meeting of the Permanent Council on this issue, and I will speak to several presidents in the coming days. There is still room for agreement, albeit increasingly narrow.
The OAS is also considering a proposal to not recognize the upcoming elections in Honduras, while the United States is debating formally cutting off aid to the Honduran government.