Tuesday Honduras news summary

• Costa Rican President Oscar Arias confirmed that Manuel Zelaya and interim president, Roberto Micheletti, would come to his home in Costa Rica on Thursday to start a dialogue aimed at overcoming the political crisis.
  
• U.S. President Obama reiterated his support for efforts to return Zelaya to the presidency, although he noted that Zelaya was opposed to many U.S. policies. In a speech at a university in Moscow, President Obama said the United States does not indicate to other countries who should be their rulers.
  
• It appears the United States has canceled the visas of officials of the Honduran Embassy in Washington, including the visa of Ambassador Roberto Flores Bermudez. Ambassador Flores recognized Micheletti's interim government as the legitimate constitutional succession government of Honduras. The visa cancellations were requested by former President Zelaya, who the U.S. still recognizes.
  
• The U.S. Ambassador in Honduras, Hugo Llorens, said he felt outraged by the comments of the current Minister of Foreign Affairs, Enrique Ortez, who said Obama is a "negrito" [little black] who "doesn't even know where Tegucigalpa is located." The statement was made on a TV news commentary show before Mr. Ortez was named Foreign Minister by Micheletti. "Such comments are deeply outrageous to the American people and to me personally. I am shocked by these comments, which I strongly condemn," the ambassador said. Later in the day, during a swearing in ceremony of new ministers in Tegucigalpa, Ortez apologized for the "unfortunate expression."
  
• Zelaya said that he is not going to San Jose to negotiate, just to "plan the exit on the putschist government." Micheletti, meanwhile, said that Zelaya's return is not negotiable. The new President said that he is willing to talk, but the return of Manuel Zelaya to the presidency is not an option.
  
• The former candidate for mayor of Managua described Daniel Ortega's position as "cynical" and "opportunistic." According to him, Ortega used the events in Honduras to divert attention from electoral fraud in Nicaraguan municipal elections of 2008.
  
• It was reported that the delegation sent by the government of President Micheletti to Washington will meet with U.S. legislators tomorrow.
  
• Hugo Chávez continued his interference in the internal affairs of Honduras by calling for a certain sector of the country continue to resist the recent political changes in Honduras.
  
• The United States suspended economic aid to Honduras because of the recent political events, but not humanitarian assistance.
  

Source: El Heraldo