Hondurans ignore curfew to celebrate return of deposed president

From Times Online

September 22, 2009

(AFP/Orlando Sierra)

President Zelaya speaks to his daughter Zoe

Image :1 of 2

Anne Barrowclough

Thousands of supporters of deposed Honduras president Manuel Zelaya surrounded the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa, the capital, last night, dancing and cheering the president sheltering inside.

Chanting "Yes we could, yes we could," Mr Zelaya's supporters ignored a 26 hour curfew imposed by the interim government to remain outside the embassy where Mr Zelaya took refuge after making a dramatic return to the capital on Monday

Taken by surprise by Mr Zelaya's sudden return, the interim government suspended all flights to Tegucigalpa and ordered checkpoints to be set up on highways leading to the capital to keep his supporters from other regions.

Electricity was cut off for hours at a time on the block housing the embassy and in areas of Tegucigalpa where news media offices are located — something that happened the day of the coup that ousted the leftist leader.

“I am here in Tegucigalpa. I am here for the restoration of democracy, to call for dialogue,” Mr Zelaya told Honduran television.

Mr Zelaya told the Associated Press that he had "evaded a thousand obstacles" to return, travelling for 15 hours overland in a series of vehicles. He refused to say who had helped him cross the border, saying he did not want to jeopardise their safety after they helped him pull off a homecoming that the interim government had worked hard to prevent. Only minutes before he appeared publicly at the embassy, officials said reports of his return were a lie.

The former president, who has been threatened with jail by interim President Roberto Micheletti, said he was trying to establish contact with the interim government to start negotations on a solution to the standoff that started when soldiers flew him out of the country at gunpoint on June 28.

"As of now, we are beginning to seek dialogue," said Mr Zelaya. He also summoned his countrymen to come to the capital for peaceful protests and urged the army to avoid attacking his supporters.

"It is the moment of reconciliation," he said.

The interim government said in a statement the army and police were ready to "guarantee the safety of people."

Mr Zelaya's supporter, Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, said: "President Manuel Zelaya, along with four companions, traveled for two days overland, crossing mountains and rivers, risking their lives. "

The secretary general of the Organization of American States, Jose Miguel Insulza, called for calm and warned Honduran officials to avoid any violation of the Brazilian diplomatic mission.

"They should be responsible for the safety of president Zelaya and the Embassy of Brazil," he said.

Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorin said neither his country nor the OAS had any role in Mr Zelaya's journey before taking him in, but reminded the interim government that an attempt to remove Mr Zelaya from the embassy would be a violation of international law.

"We hope this opens a new stage in negotiations," said Mr Amorin.

Talks moderated by Costa Rican President Oscar Arias have been stalled for weeks over the interim government's refusal to accept Mr Zelaya's reinstatement.

Related Links

• Manuel Zelaya plots his return to Honduras

• Curfew as ousted Honduras President returns

Late on Monday, Mr Micheletti rejected further Costa Rican mediation, declaring that Mr Arias' role as a mediator in the crisis was over.

Honduras' Foreign Relations Department criticized Brazil, saying it was violating international law by "allowing Zelaya, a fugitive of Honduran justice, to make public calls to insurrection and political mobilization from its headquarters."

Mr Micheletti urged Brazil in a nationwide radio address to turn Mr Zelaya over to Honduran authorities.

Mr Zelaya's presence could revive the large demonstrations that disrupted the capital following the coup and threatens to overshadow the presidential election campaign.

Teachers union leader Eulogio Chavez announced that the country's 60,000 teachers would go on strike indefinitely on Tuesday to back Zelaya's demand to be reinstated.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged both sides to look for a peaceful solution to the crisis.

"It is imperative that dialogue begin, that there be a channel of communication between President Zelaya and the de facto regime in Honduras," Mrs Clinton told reporters in New York

In the days following the coup, two people wer killed in clashes with security forces as thousands of demonstrators took to the streets. Thousands of other Hondurans demonstrated in favor of the coup.

If the interim administration attempts to imprison Mr Zelaya, protesters who have demonstrated against Mr Micheletti could turn violent, said Vicki Gass at the Washington Office on Latin America.

"There's a saying about Honduras that people can argue in the morning and have dinner in the evening, but I'm not sure this will happen in this case," said MsGass. "It's been 86 days since the coup. Something had to break and this might be it."





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