Honduran Congress still not called into session

If the coup government is stalling again at this stage they may find that they will be in real hot water. The US has sent the labor secretary Hilda Solis to be involved. There is a definite time frame with the verification commission to be formed by Nov 5th (Thursday). I imagine there will be enough internal pressure to force the Congress to act. Indeed, it was probably pressure from the military, business elite, and RC Church hierarchy that persuaded Micheletti to change his complete rejection of Zelaya's re-instatement.

Honduras Congress not yet called back into session

Head of Honduran Congress says he won't be rushed on vote to restore Zelaya; no date set

OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ
AP News

Nov 02, 2009 18:58 EST

The head of Honduras' Congress said Monday that he has yet to decide when to call lawmakers back into session to debate whether ousted President Manuel ZelayaManuel Zelaya should be reinstated.

Jose Alfredo Saavedra said he and other congressional leaders have begun analyzing the contents of Friday's U.S.-brokered pact that calls on Honduran lawmakers to vote on whether Zelaya should serve the remaining three months of his term, a decision that could end the country's debilitating, 4-month-old political crisis.

But Saavedra said he has yet to call Congress to meet and will not be rushed despite calls from diplomats not to delay the vote. He said he will first consult with the Supreme Court, which ordered Zelaya's June 28 ouster.

"Once congressional leaders understand the reach of the pact, once they understand its dynamics, then we'll decide what path to follow," Saavedra told HRN radio.

While the legislature backed Zelaya's ouster, congressional leaders have since said they won't stand in the way of an agreement that ends Honduras' diplomatic isolation and legitimizes a presidential election planned for Nov. 29.

The international community has threatened to not recognize the vote if Zelaya is not reinstated.

About 300 Zelaya supporters, who have said they will boycott the election if he is not returned to power, demonstrated at the congressional building Monday.

"We want our president to return and help fight the poverty that we have here," said Juan Sanchez, a 55-year-old unemployed farmworker. He said the group of Zelaya's supporters planned to stay outside Congress indefinitely.

U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis and former Chilean President Ricardo Lagos were expected to arrive in the Central American country Tuesday accompanied by high-level officials from the Organization of American States.

The two were named to a four-member commission that is to monitor implementation of the pact. The other members will be representatives from Honduras' two major political parties.

The commission will monitor the creation of a power-sharing government, encourage all factions recognize the November elections and ensure the military is put under the command of electoral officials to safeguard the vote's legitimacy.

As part of the accord struck Friday, the commission will also monitor the creation of a truth commission assigned to investigate the coup that ousted Zelaya, who was rousted from his bed by soldiers and flown to Costa Rica.

Zelaya has been inside the Brazilian Embassy in Tegucigalpa since Sept. 21, when he made a surprise return to the Honduran capital.