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TALKS FAIL; EXILED PRESIDENT MANUEL ZELAYA SAYS HE IS HEADED HOME TO HONDURAS REGARDLESS OF FEARED CONSEQUENCES.

Article Excerpt
Negotiations between Honduran President Manuel Zelaya and coup leader Roberto Micheletti died aborning when both parties denied that the discussions brokered by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and mediated by Costa Rican President Oscar Arias were, in fact, negotiations. That was the first week in July. Now, the "talks," or "discussions," that replaced them have inevitably and predictably collapsed as well. The devolution to chat mode may have been the last point of agreement between the parties, when Zelaya said, "This is not a negotiation, this is the planning of the exit of the coup leaders," and Micheletti said, "We're not going to negotiate, we're going to talk (see NotiCen, 2009-07-09)."

With that as preamble, mediator Arias set about crafting a set of seven points to be talked over between the parties. They were as follows:

1. The legitimate restitution of Jose Manuel Zelaya Rosales in the Presidency of the Republic, charge in which he will remain until the end of the constitutional period for which he was elected, which concludes Jan. 27 of next year, date on which he will hand over power to the candidate designated freely and democratically by the people in elections supervised and recognized by the international community.

2. The conformation of a party of unity and reconciliation composed of representatives from the main political parties.

3. The declaration of a general amnesty exclusively for all the political crimes committed because of this conflict, before and after last July 28.

4. The express renouncement of President Zelaya, and of his government, of the pretension of placing a "fourth urn" in the next elections, or to conduct...