Jorge Reina, a negotiator for Zelaya, said the pact fell apart because congress failed to vote on whether to reinstate the deposed president before the deadline for forming the unity government.The pact did not require Zelaya's return to the presidency. It left the decision up to congress. Zelaya interpreted that to mean that congress had to vote on the issue by Thursday.Supporters of Micheletti disputed that, saying the pact required that members of the unity cabinet be in place by Thursday but that there was no deadline for congress to meet.
Jorge Reina, a negotiator for Zelaya, said the pact fell apart because congress failed to vote on whether to reinstate the deposed president before the deadline for forming the unity government.
The pact did not require Zelaya's return to the presidency. It left the decision up to congress. Zelaya interpreted that to mean that congress had to vote on the issue by Thursday.
Supporters of Micheletti disputed that, saying the pact required that members of the unity cabinet be in place by Thursday but that there was no deadline for congress to meet.
With U.S. fingerprints on the latest developments, Washington finds itself in a difficult situation. The United States--like most countries in the hemisphere--previously said it would not recognize the results of the November 29 election if carried out by the de facto government. However, U.S. officials indicated that they would recognize the elections with signature of the pact, even though it does not make Zelaya's reinstatement mandatory. "They are now, in fact, part of the problem. I think they may have put themselves in a bigger pickle than if they hadn't" played such a major diplomatic role, AS/COA's Christopher Sabatini told the Christian Science Monitor. In an interview with the Associated Press, a State Department spokeperson said the accord "is not dead, but maybe sleeping for the time being." He added that "[b]oth sides need to return to the table and negotiate the formation of a government of national unity." COA's Eric Farnsworth remarked that, should Washington fail to create a path to legitimacy for the elections, "[t]hen Honduras degenerates into perpetual political crisis, and that's the last thing Honduras needs."
In an interview with the Associated Press, a State Department spokeperson said the accord "is not dead, but maybe sleeping for the time being." He added that "[b]oth sides need to return to the table and negotiate the formation of a government of national unity." COA's Eric Farnsworth remarked that, should Washington fail to create a path to legitimacy for the elections, "[t]hen Honduras degenerates into perpetual political crisis, and that's the last thing Honduras needs."
