Statement by the Zelaya Administration

From La Tribuna today, the Zelaya administration's response to the Micheletti proposal offered late yesterday, which called for waiting until reports from Congress and the Supreme Court about events leading up to June 28 could be received:

Commission of Zelaya declares that the "dialogue" is deadlocked

Tegucigalpa-- The decision to restore the ex-president Manuel Zelaya Rosales based on the reports of Congress and the Judicial Power that the government committee proposed was rejected last night by the representatives of the removed leader, who declared the "Guaymuras Dialogue" that seeks a solution to the crisis of the country "deadlocked and obstructed".

After condemning the delaying tactics and declaring that the elections of November 29 are a fraud, the coordinator of the committee, Victor Meza, read an official communique that is reproduced here in full:

DECLARATION

NEGOTIATING COMMISSION OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL PRESIDENT JOSE MANUEL ZELAYA ROSALES

The dialogue, in which we have been parties in representation of the Constitutional President Manuel Zelaya Rosales, began the 7th of October under the auspices and with the accompaniment of the Organization of American States (OAS).

In the first meeting the agenda was adopted by consensus, whose first stated point was the signing of the San José Accord, which clearly indicates that the dialogue could only be realized in conformity with the spirit and essence of the mentioned accord.

By virtue of the state of obstruction and relative stalemate in which the dialogue is presently found, provoked despite us, we consider it necessary to make the following declaration:

FIRST: We reiterate that the dialogue is an adequate instrument to reach an exit from the political crisis that crosses our country, within the framework of compliance with the resolutions of the OAS, UN, and the San José Accord; but it is indispensable that the same be accompanied by the necessary and firm political will. The negotiating commissions have shown a good disposition to advance and sign seven of the eight key points of the final Accord. Despite which, the past Friday the 16th, the viceminister de facto, Martha Lorena Alvarado, publicly announced that our Commission had broken off dialogue, introducing in this way a lie and confusion in the process of negotiation.

Señor Roberto Micheletti has not demonstrated the political will and continues determined to use the dialogue as a simple mechanism of political distraction and calculated delay to gain time and prolong his illegal and arbitrary stay in the exercise of governance.

SECOND: While our delegation gives undeniable proof of its political will to arrive at an accord and to find an exit to the crisis, Señor Roberto Micheletti puts into practice delaying manoeuvres, purely formal approaches, inadmissable, and in some cases, insulting and provocative, proposals.

THIRD: For all the preceding, we reiterate that the dialogue, although we do not declare it broken nor do we intend to break it, has entered a phase of evident obstruction.

The permanent council of the OAS that will meet in Washington on Wednesday the 21st of the present month, should consider and make a declaration about the actual state of obstruction in which the process of dialogue finds itself.

The Constitutional President José Manuel Zelaya Rosales has made all the concessions possible to assure the success of the dialogue and a political exit from the crisis. Thanks to him, we have been able to come to consensus on and sign 95% of the content of the San José Accord; the remaining percentage depends exclusively on the political will of Señor Micheletti. It is he who must assume the political responsibility and the historical blame for having impeded the successful culmination of this generous effort at dialogue, that has always counted on, and will continue to count on the determined backing of the Constitutional President José Manuel Zelaya Rosales and the delegation that represents him.