Honduras News by In-Honduras.com

Thomas A. Shannon Jr., Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, stated yesterday, that the agreement signed in Honduras by both parties representing Manuel Zelaya Rosales and Roberto Micheletti states that the decision made by Congress must be respected by both sides.

Shannon reiterated that the United States and the International community will also respect the decision made by the Honduran Congress, whether it be positive or negative regarding reinstating Manuel Zelaya Rosales as president of Honduras.

He made it clear that the they (US and international community) recognize the Honduran Congress will make a decision on when and if Zelaya should return to power. It is a political matter that has to be resolved politically and Congress is the appointed branch of government to make that decision. Both sides have committed themselves to respect the results of that decision and emphasized that there are two options, yes or no on Zelayas return, and not one as Zelaya followers have tried to force on the media.

The Honduran Congress is currently on recess and efforts are being made to meet and review the Guaymura accord.

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.