Zelaya gives Marchetti one week to quit..

This appears as if it is sheer bravado on Zelaya's part. The Marchetti regime has no intention of quitting. I notice from U.S. media that there is a considerable amount of support for the coup rather than Zelaya because they associate Zelaya with Chavez. For years the U.S. supported military regimes in Latin America. As long as the new more democratic regimes are safely in the hands of the elites there are no problems but once anyone is elected who wants to reform the system the elites get restless and the military intervenes once again having been well trained by the U.S. The negotiations seem simply a stalling tactic. The Marchetti govt. will probably move up the presidential elections so that a new president will be chosen even before negotiations are finished so Zelaya's return will make little sense. Arias is a staunch U.S. ally. I expect that Zelaya was in effect forced into this mediation farce.


Honduras' Manuel Zelaya gives rival week to quit
Accusing the man serving as interim president of trying to sabotage mediation talks, ousted Honduran leader Manuel Zelaya said he'll give him a week to step down.
By TIM ROGERS AND JIM WYSS
jwyss@MiamiHerald.com
MANAGUA -- Ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya gave his rival, Roberto Micheletti, one week to step down, saying he was prepared to risk bloodshed to recapture the presidency, which he lost on June 28.
Speaking from neighboring Nicaragua, Zelaya accused Micheletti, who is serving as interim president, of trying to sabotage ongoing mediation talks in Costa Rica and using the time to consolidate his power.
He also called on the administration to recognize the resolutions of the Organization of American States and the United Nations that demand Zelaya's return. ''The regime is just trying to buy time so it can keep terrorizing,'' Zelaya said. ``The Honduran people are just another victim.''
TALKS TO RESUME
Zelaya and Micheletti's negotiating teams are expected to resume talks in Costa Rica on Saturday. But if those talks do not produce results, Zelaya said he would pay ''any cost'' to reclaim the presidency.
''Let me come back -- me with the people and you with your bayonets,'' he said. ``And instead of shooting innocent kids, shoot me.''
The last time Zelaya tried to return to Honduras -- on July 5 -- the army blocked the tarmac of the capital's international airport with trucks, keeping his plane from landing. As protesters tried to scale the chain-link fence around Tegucigalpa's international airport, shots were fired and one teen died..............................
The ultimatum came as Micheletti spent Monday consolidating his power by swearing in the nation's top diplomat and its environmental chief.
.....................In his conference from Nicaragua, Zelaya also called on the government to cease its crackdown on the media and opposition politicians.
On Saturday, authorities detained pro-Zelaya reporters with the Venezuelan network Telesur and held them overnight. The government has also been interrupting the transmission of some news programs. In addition, Zelaya said his negotiation team's mobile phones were cut and their bank accounts frozen.
The Micheletti administration has yet to be officially recognized by a single nation. The newly minted foreign affairs minister, Contreras, said he hoped to change that.
The cabinet changes come as Micheletti has been trying to project a sense of normalcy. The curfew, which has been in effect since June 28, was lifted Sunday night. And the government began running public service announcements encouraging Hondurans to vote in the upcoming Nov. 29 general elections.
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