Honduran talks underway to end standoff.

Of course there have been talks for ages and the coup government has not budged even though the San Jose accords would give them amnesty and result in Zelaya in effect being a caretaker president until his term runs outs and it would give credibility to the upcoming presidential elections. Instead the leaders and Micheletti in particular have insisted that Zelaya will not be reinstated and continue to demand he be tried for various offences if he leaves the Brazilian embassy to enter Honduras proper. The OAS has been rebuffed more than once and peace overtures have gone nowhere.

However, there is obvious impatience with the situation in the army, business elite and RC Church hierarchy all of whom support the coup. They may be able to convince the hard liners in the coup government to try and reach some symbolic return of Zelaya and some limited amnesty for him. As far as amnesty for themselves they feel there is no need since according to their line everything was legal even though they did not arrest Zelaya but whisked him off to another country and then among other things used a forged resignation document at the time Micheletti was installed as the new president.

Interesting that Zelaya has given a deadline for reinstating him as president. What could he possibly do if the deadline is not met? I doubt that this bothers the coup government all that much as the article suggests. Zelaya's hope was the people in the street but during the emergency decree many of them were arrested and their media taken off the air.

As for the opposition in the streets, some are already giving up on Zelaya because among other things they want constitutional change and there is no way that Zelaya can campaign for a constitutional assembly even if he does get back in as president. These excerpts are from taragana.

"" Diplomats launch talks in Honduras in hopes of ending presidential standoff
Ben Fox October 7th, 2009

"....TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras - Diplomats from around the hemisphere flew into Honduras on Wednesday and told the coup-imposed government to reinstate President Manuel ZelayaManuel Zelaya and restore democracy to the impoverished Central American country.

"We are not here to create a debate. We are here to find concrete solutions to a situation that cannot be prolonged," Jose Miguel Insulza, the secretary general of the Organization of American States, said as talks began in the capital, Tegucigalpa.

Zelaya gave the negotiators an ultimatum, calling for the postponement of Nov. 29 presidential elections if he is not restored to office before Oct. 15. That proposal is certain to anger the interim government, which views the elections - scheduled before Zelaya's June 28 overthrow - as the best hope of moving past the crisis.

Insulza presented a proposed agreement that would restore Zelaya as head of a unity government and offer amnesty to both the coup leaders and the deposed president, who faces abuse of power and other charges stemming from his defiance of a court order that he drop a referendum on changing the constitution.

The proposal, which also requires Zelaya to abandon any ambitions to change the constitution, is similar to one proposed months ago by Costa Rican President Oscar AriasPresident Oscar Arias and rejected by the interim government.

Delegates from the United States, Canada and eight Latin American countries were mediating negotiations between representatives of Zelaya, ....for an agreement to be reached before the November elections, which many countries in the Americas have warned would not be recognized if Zelaya remains out of the power.

".......Zelaya has not announced any plans to leave his refuge at the Brazilian Embassy, and he was being represented in the talks by members of his deposed government. """"