Honduras’ de facto government has accepted a US-driven deal that opens the door for the return to power of ousted president Manuel Zelaya, toppled in a military coup four months ago.
The breakthrough late on Thursday followed renewed pressure from senior US officials who traveled to Honduras this week for a last-ditch effort to end a crisis that has given US President Barack Obama a foreign policy headache.
“It is a triumph for Honduran democracy,” Zelaya said after the rival sides agreed to a deal that he said should see him restored to office in the coming days.
Congress still needs to approve his return. It originally backed the coup against him, but Zelaya said he did not expect any new setbacks.
“This is a first step. My reinstatement is imminent, I’m optimistic,” he said.
Zelaya was toppled and sent into exile on June 28, but sneaked back into Honduras last month and has since been holed up in the Brazilian embassy with Honduran troops surrounding the building and his rivals demanding his arrest and trial.
Roberto Micheletti, who took over the country within hours of Zelaya’s ouster, had repeatedly refused to step aside to let the leftist return, but he softened his position on Thursday.
“I have authorized my negotiating team to sign a deal that marks the beginning of the end of the country’s political situation,” Micheletti told reporters on Thursday night.
He said Zelaya could return to office after a vote in Congress that would be authorized by the Supreme Court. The deal would also require both sides to recognize the result of a Nov. 29 presidential election and would transfer control of the army to the top electoral court.
If approved by Congress, Zelaya would be able to finish out his presidential term, which ends in January. It was not clear what would happen to other elements of the agreement if Congress votes against Zelaya’s restoration.
Micheletti said the deal would create a truth commission to investigate the events of the last few months, and would ask foreign governments to reverse punitive measures like suspending aid and canceling the travel visas of prominent figures involved in the coup and the de facto government.
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