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Stand-off in Honduras

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The World’s William Troop reports on the stand-off in Honduras, where deposed president Manuel Zelaya is holed up in the Brazilian embassy. Zelaya is demanding that he be allowed to return to power, while the de facto government that replaced him is demanding that Brazil turn Zelaya over to be arrested.

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MARCO WERMAN: I’m Marco Werman.  This is The World.  The long-running political stand-off in Honduras is threatening to turn violent.  Here’s a little background The Central American country’s president, Manuel Zelaya, was deposed in a military coup back in June.  He was forced to leave the country in his pajamas.  But yesterday, Zelaya made a dramatic reappearance in Honduras after nearly three months in exile.  And his arrival in the capital Tegucigalpa has led to clashes between supporters and the police. The World’s William Troop has more.

WILLIAM TROOP: The de facto government of Honduras had threatened to arrest Zelaya the moment he stepped back on Honduran soil.  But it was obviously caught off guard by Zelaya’s undercover return. From his refuge inside the Brazilian embassy, the deposed president has been calling on supporters to rally around the building.  A few thousand have, only to be dispersed today by Honduran riot police using batons and tear gas.

[SOUNDS OF A RIOT]

The sight of Zelaya supporters being beaten by police with batons is not likely to help calm things down in Honduras.  Zelaya himself says he’s taking the high road.

MANUEL ZELAYA: [In Spanish]

WILLIAM TROOP: The deposed leader says his is a peaceful strategy.  He says he’s returned to Honduras to restart a dialogue with his opponents.  That dialogue went nowhere while Zelaya was in exile.  Talks mediated by Costa Rican president Oscar Arias produced a draft agreement. It called for Zelaya’s return to the presidency and the creation of a unity government.  But the agreement was never signed.  The left-leaning Zelaya is recognized as the country’s legitimate elected president by all governments in the region. That includes the United States, which wants Zelaya reinstated for what’s left of his term in office.  Now, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is urging both sides in the standoff to stay calm and negotiate.

HILLARY CLINTON:  It’s also imperative that the return of President Zelaya does not lead to any conflict or violence but instead, that everyone act in peaceful way to try to find some common ground.  Once again, the Costa Ricans will be using their good offices to try to encourage that to occur.

TROOP: The de facto president of Honduras, Roberto Micheletti, has already shot down that idea.  He says Costa Rica’s mediation efforts have failed and are now over.  Micheletti also issued a stern ultimatum to Brazil, which has granted Zelaya refuge inside its embassy in Tegucigalpa.

ROBERTO MICHELETTI: [In Spanish]

TROOP: I call on the government of Brazil, said Micheletti, to respect the judicial process in Honduras and hand Mr. Zelaya over.  Either that or grant him asylum back in Brazil. The ultimatum prompted a quick response from Brazil’s foreign minister, Celso Amorim, who is in New York for the UN General Assembly this week.

CELSO AMORIM:  We think it’s very important that the de facto authorities take into account that any threat to President Zelaya’s security or his wife or our embassy would be a big breach — a grave breach of international law.  And I am confident that that will not happen.

TROOP: The embassy is officially Brazilian territory — so Honduran troops may not enter its grounds.  But Honduran authorities have reportedly cut off water and electricity to the building. There’s a backup generator, and Brazilian officials have asked the nearby US embassy for help in case fuel runs out.  The standoff has the potential to last a while.  With neither side budging, it’s possible that Zelaya could remain in diplomatic limbo for months. A presidential election is scheduled in late November.  De facto president Micheletti has said he will step down after that.  And Zelaya is barred from running again.  His attempt to change the constitution to allow him a second term is what set off the crisis in Honduras in the first place.

For The World, this is William Troop.

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