Honduran President Reinstated

After months of protests and political unrest, an agreement has been reached to reinstate exiled Honduran President Manuel Zelaya. Zelaya was stripped of his power on June 28 of this year by the Honduran congress, which accused Zelaya of attempting to alter Honduras's constitution in order to allow for unrestricted reelections. Interim President Roberto Micheletti, who brought the charges against Zelaya, was enraged at foreign leaders earlier this month for refusing to recognize the upcoming elections on Nov. 29 unless Zelaya was reinstated. According to the Associated Press, Micheletti scolded representatives from the United States, Canada and some dozen other countries stating, "We have been fighting for many years for our constitution and we will keep fighting no matter what happens." Despite growing international pressure, Mr. Micheletti and the interim government adamantly refused to reinstate Zelaya. During the conference Peter Kent, Canada's minister of state for the Americas, told Micheletti, "However [Zelaya's expulsion] happened," a mistake was made on June 28. A democratical leader, whatever his behavior in recent years, was undemocratically removed." According to The New York Times, the Honduran military roused Zelaya from his bed and expelled him from the country. Foreign leaders, including President Barack Obama, have stated that the coup was illegal because of the use of Honduras's military. Micheletti refuted the allegations by stating that Honduras's Supreme Court authorized the military assisted coup. In spite of Micheletti's statements foreign leaders maintain that the coup was illegal. The military backed coup was the first in Latin America since the days of the Cold War. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton spearheaded the American effort to resolve the situation in Honduras. According to The New York Times Clinton made it clear to Micheletti that the United States was losing its patience with the current state of affairs. According to The New York Times, Micheletti joked about his exchange with Clinton saying that it appeared that she had a very limited vocabulary. Officials close to the dialogue told reporters that Micheletti said, "I kept trying to explain our position to her, but all she kept saying was 'Restitution, restitution, restitution.'" The majority of the agreement had been drafted months ago by other Latin American Leaders, notably Costa Rican president Oscar Arias Sanchez. If the Honduran Congress ratifies the agreement, Zelaya will serve the remainder of his term; the presidential election will proceed as planned and will be recognized by all parties. Major obstacles still remain in the finalization of the agreement. The Honduran Congress, which ousted Zelaya only four months ago, has to decide whether or not to reinstate him. Assistant Secretary of State Thomas A. Shannon Jr. said, "This is going to be the issue that is most provocative internally," referring to the decision of the Honduran Congress, "and probably where we in the international community are going to have to pay the closest attention." President of the Honduran Congress Jose Alfredo Saavedra, who is close to Micheletti, hinted that congress was, in no way, in a hurry to pass any legislation, "At this time, nobody, absolutely nobody, can impose deadlines or terms on [the Honduran] Congress," he said. Carlos Eduardo Renia, an advisor to Zelaya voiced his concerns regarding the agreement and Congress's crucial role in passing it, "Signing the agreement does not resolve the problem, it opens space, it opens the door and determines what will be the path to return Honduras to legality." Former vice president, of Costa Rica, Kevin Casas-Zamora said that he expects Congress to approve Zelaya's return. He believes this because the two main presidential candidates have the most influence over legislators and they want an agreement so the election will be recognized by world powers. According to The New York Times Micheletti stated that the agreement would institute a united government. A verification commission would also be put in place to guarantee that the conditions of the agreement would be properly finalized. In addition, a truth commission would be created to investigate the events of the coup. However, it would not provide pardon for any crimes committed in connection with the coup. The truth commission could cause problems with the military, which forced Zelaya from the country. Zelaya's fate remains unclear. He has been threatened with arrest on an array of charges ranging from corruption to treason. The Obama administration, which has been pushing for the reinstatement of Zelaya since his expulsion from Honduras, has spent about $30 million in aid and visas for people identified as central figures of the interim government. At the same time hundreds of millions of dollars in American humanitarian assistance continued to gush into the country. Other Latin American countries, who are concerned about the stability of the fragile and young democracy in Honduras, criticized the Obama administration for sending mixed messages.