Honduran amnesty proposal: breakthrough, or false start?
(Read article summary)Interim President Robert Michelletti has proposed allowing ousted President Zelaya to return with amnesty – as long as he steps down as leader.
MEXICO CITY – In the latest act of a political drama full of false starts and building anticipation that has been deflated at each turn, a new plan by Honduran interim President Roberto Micheletti to resolve the two-month old crisis in Honduras is being touted as a breakthrough.
A negotiator for Mr. Micheletti, who was sworn in after Honduran President Manuel Zelaya was arrested by the military and exiled June 28, said that a new plan introduced Thursday would grant Mr. Zelaya amnesty, allowing him to return without facing arrest, as had previously been threatened.
Micheletti also offered to step down as president - as long as Zelaya offers to do the same. Charges against Zelaya include treason and abuse of authority.
But no matter how much the offer is spun as a new advance, it is unlikely to do much, if anything, to solve the crisis. A senior US State Department official had told reporters earlier that "the return of Zelaya as the elected president, and to finish out his term, is still a core tenet" of any solution.
