Costa Rican President Oscar Arias said on Wednesday that foreign governments should keep on applying sanctions against Honduras’ interim government even as its leaders expressed interest in further negotiations on ending the standoff.
Arias, who sought unsuccessfully to mediate a compromise between ousted Honruran president Manuel Zelaya and his foes, said the interim administration “isn’t convinced” and “hasn’t yet recognized that President Zelaya should be reinstated.”
Arias told reporters at a regional summit in Costa Rica that “sanctions should continue to be applied.”
Some governments have frozen aid programs for Honduras or canceled visas for officials connected to the interim government.
The Costa Rican leader said acting Honduran President Roberto Micheletti had called him to ask that Arias send an envoy to Honduras to speak with all three branches of the interim government.
He said Micheletti had suggested Enrique Iglesias, the former longtime head of the Inter-American Development Bank. Arias did not say whether Iglesias would go.
Micheletti issued a statement on Wednesday calling Arias’ mediation “the best path to achieving a consensus in Honduras,” and he asked Arias to include all parts of society in the dialogue, including church groups, students, business groups, unions, political parties and news media.
“Our citizens need to support and broaden the San Jose dialogue in Honduras, that is, have a dialogue among our own people,” Micheletti wrote.
Last week, Micheletti’s government rejected a proposal by Arias that Zelaya resume the presidency in a coalition government of all parties and that amnesty be given to both sides.
Honduran officials said Zelaya would be arrested if he returned to his homeland.
In Tegucigalpa, the Honduran capital, pro-Zelaya protesters returned to the streets and blocked traffic in another of their daily demonstrations demanding his restoration to the presidency.
Backers of the government that was installed after the army flew Zelaya out of Honduras on June 28 have also held demonstrations.
Meanwhile, two Venezuelan diplomats remained holed up at their country’s embassy a week after the interim government ordered them to leave.
The interim government accuses Venezuela — whose President Hugo Chavez is a vocal ally of Zelaya’s — of threatening Honduras and interfering in its internal affairs. It gave the diplomats a 72-hour deadline to leave on July 21, but they refused, saying they didn’t recognize the government.
The embassy’s charge d’affaires, Ariel Vargas, vowed to hold out in the embassy as about 20 Zelaya supporters gathered outside seeking to block any forcible takeover.
“We can’t go out on the street for fear they will arrest us,” Vargas told reporters.
The interim government has said it will simply wait for the Venezuelans to leave.
Zelaya and a group of about 500 supporters remained at a Nicaraguan town on the border with Honduras.
On Wednesday, UN officials toured the camp “to see what these people’s health condition is,” said Nicaraguan Health Minister Guillermo Gonzalez, who accompanied the group.
EUROPEAN FUTURE? Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama says only he could secure EU membership, but challenges remain in dealing with corruption and a brain drain Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama seeks to win an unprecedented fourth term, pledging to finally take the country into the EU and turn it into a hot tourist destination with some help from the Trump family. The artist-turned-politician has been pitching Albania as a trendy coastal destination, which has helped to drive up tourism arrivals to a record 11 million last year. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also joined in the rush, pledging to invest US$1.4 billion to turn a largely deserted island into a luxurious getaway. Rama is expected to win another term after yesterday’s vote. The vote would
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
Myanmar’s junta chief met Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) for the first time since seizing power, state media reported yesterday, the highest-level meeting with a key ally for the internationally sanctioned military leader. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing led a military coup in 2021, overthrowing Myanmar’s brief experiment with democracy and plunging the nation into civil war. In the four years since, his armed forces have battled dozens of ethnic armed groups and rebel militias — some with close links to China — opposed to its rule. The conflict has seen Min Aung Hlaing draw condemnation from rights groups and pursued by the
RSS