TEGUCIGALPA, (Reuters) – An emergency delegation of senior U.S. government officials arrived in Honduras on Wednesday for a last-ditch effort to resolve an impasse between ousted President Manuel Zelaya and the country’s de facto leaders since a June coup.
Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Tom Shannon, his deputy Craig Kelly, and Dan Restrepo, the White House’s special assistant for Western Hemisphere affairs, touched down at Tegucigalpa airport and left for meetings without speaking to reporters.
They met Zelaya at the heavily guarded Brazilian Embassy where he has been holed up since he snuck back into the country last month. They will also likely sit down with de facto leader Roberto Micheletti, who was installed by Congress after the June 28 military coup.
“They’re urging both sides to show flexibility and redouble their efforts to bring this crisis to an end,” State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said in Washington.
Repeated efforts to reach an agreement have stalled over the issue of whether Zelaya can be reinstated to complete his term, which is due to end in January. The latest round of talks collapsed on Friday.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wants Zelaya and Micheletti to return to the negotiating table before a Nov. 29 presidential election. Washington has threatened not to recognize the vote unless a deal is reached, and Zelaya says the vote will be invalid if he is not returned to office first.
“If the proposal is to reinstate me after the elections, I cannot endorse the elections,” Zelaya told Reuters in a telephone interview after his meeting with the U.S. officials.
