Honduras News by In-Honduras.com

Honduras’ 8 Point Accord, Zelaya in Hands of Congress

The accord ex president Zelaya’s and president Micheletti’s sides will sign tonight, contemplates Zelaya’s restitution will be considered by the Honduran Congress after consultation with the Honduran Supreme Court.

The agreement is comprised of 8 points which are:
1. Creation of a unity and reconciliation government.
2. No political amnesty for either side even though Micheletti offered it to Zelaya.
3. Recognition of the elections to be held on November 29, 2009.
4. Transfer of authority over the Honduran Armed Forces to the Electoral Supreme Tribunal.
5. Creation of a verification commission to uphold all points of this accord.
6. Creation of a Commission of Truth that will investigate the events before, during and after June 28th when Zelaya was removed from office.
7. Ask the international community to remove all sanctions against Honduras and send international observers to the November elections.
8. Regarding the possible restitution of Mr. Zelaya, let the Honduran National Congressn decide, after receiving the Supreme Court’s opinion, to return the executive branch to its status before June 28, 2009.

If both sides sign the agreement tonight, it will have to be followed thoroughly and the results accepted without hesitation by both parties.

A deal was reached between the sides representing President Roberto Micheletti and ex President Manuel Zelaya Rosales. After 4 months of the presidential succession in Honduras, which has been denounced around the world as a military coup in which Manuel Zelaya was removed from office and later expelled to Costa Rica, a deal has been reached.

Negotiations between both sides had come to a stale mate and were not moving forward after last week, the side representing Manuel Zelaya stepped off the negotiation table.

On Thursday, October 29, a high level commission send by the United States, integrated by assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs, Thomas A. Shannon Jr., Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Craig Kelly and Dan Restrepo.

This commission met with both sides and coaxed them back to the negotiation table. By noon on Thursday Shannon announced a deal was ready and only needed to be signed by both sides and that time was running out if Honduras wanted to hold elections. By 10:30 pm an announcement was made that both sides had agreed to sign.

The agreement includes plans to conform a unity government with members from both sides of the issue, recognition of elections in Honduras, restoring aid that had been cut off since the presidential succession and sending to Congress a request by Zelaya to be re instated as President of Honduras.

Negotiators will meet again today to work out a time-frame in which all points of the accord have to be met.

Zelaya’s restitution lies now in the hands of the Honduran Congress. The agreement states that both sides will adhere to the result of that vote.