Castañeda and Gaviria Criticize OAS Secretary-

General Insulza’s Efforts to Resolve Honduran

Constitutional Dispute

Honduran de facto President Roberto Micheletti apparently has succumbed to international pressure, spearheaded by the OAS and episodically echoed by U.S. diplomacy. Despite repeated remarks adamantly insisting that he would not sign any agreement with ousted President Manuel Zelaya until after the scheduled November 29th election, Micheletti agreed on October 29th to sign an accord that would open the door to Zelaya’s restitution. This reversal in Micheletti’s position is extremely important for the political future of the country, as almost all Latin American countries, the OAS, the EU, and the UN have announced that they would not recognize the results of this upcoming election as legitimate unless Zelaya first resumed his rightful presidential position.

For months Zelaya and his supporters had been calling for the direct intervention of the US. In order to finally settle the stalemate, on October 23rd, Secretary of State Clinton took the initiative to help solve the crisis, or at least facilitate the achievement of a consensus. Secretary Clinton dispatchied several top US officials to the country to meet with both sides. The US official’s presence was considered a crucial element in the negotiations between Zelaya and Micheletti, which ultimately led to a resolution.

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This analysis was prepared by Elizabeth Benjamin