Interim Honduran President Offers Conditional Talks With Ousted Predecessor

Interim Honduran President Roberto Micheletti says he is willing to hold talks with ousted President Manuel Zelaya, who remains holed up in the Brazilian embassy in the capital of Tegucigalpa.

In a statement read Tuesday by Foreign Minister Carlos Lopez, Micheletti says he is ready to talk with his deposed rival, as long as Mr. Zelaya recognizes the presidential elections scheduled for November.

Micheletti also says he will not discuss revoking any of the charges against Mr. Zelaya.  

Honduras army soldiers take position around the wall of the Brazilian embassy where ousted President Manuel Zelaya has taken refuge in Tegucigalpa, 22 Sep 2009The offer was made as the political crisis entered into a third day, after Mr. Zelaya and his entourage secretly returned to Honduras Monday.  Riot police surrounding the Brazilian embassy used tear gas and water cannons to disperse thousands of Mr. Zelaya's supporters who had gathered in defiance of a nationwide curfew. Dozens of them were either detained or injured.  

The foreign outpost's electricity, water and telephone lines were briefly shut off, leaving Mr. Zelaya and dozens of friends, relatives and some embassy staffers isolated with dwindling supplies.

The government has extended the curfew into Wednesday, with soldiers and police patrolling the streets around the embassy. The nation's airports are closed down and roadblocks have been established to keep Zelaya supporters from gathering in the capital.

Brazil is calling for the United Nations Security Council to hold an emergency meeting on the political crisis in Honduras. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva spoke by telephone to Mr. Zelaya Tuesday. He said he told the ousted leader not to give the interim government a reason to resort to violence.

Mr. Zelaya says his return is a new opportunity for dialogue, although he has been urging supporters to stage peaceful protests.

He was forced out of the country at gunpoint on June 28 in his pajamas. The interim leaders say he violated a Supreme Court order to drop plans to hold a referendum on modifying the constitution. Critics accused him of trying to repeal the ban on presidential term limits and extend his hold on power. They are also alarmed by his strong ties to leftist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

The United States has refused to recognize Micheletti's interim government despite the government's assertion that Mr. Zelaya was legally removed.  

Washington is urging both sides to agree to a plan mediated by Costa Rican President Oscar Arias that would reinstate Mr. Zelaya.