Saturday, October 24, 2009

Biehl: majority of Hondurans support a "third party" solution

Background: John Biehl is the OAS official who has been facilitating the Guaymuras Talks in Honduras between the interim government of Roberto Micheletti and the deposed president Manuel Zelaya.

When asked about the latest proposal by Micheletti's team, in the sense that the current president would relinquish power if Manuel Zelaya also desists from his intention to be reinstated, John Biehl said the entire international community has been clear that it will respect any agreement the Hondurans achieve.

In that respect, he acknowledged that a survey from a prestigious polling company, in the hands of the OAS reveals that the majority of Hondurans are in agreement with a third party as a possibility for a solution to end the crisis.

"If you ask me if I support a third party, I say: 'we will not intervene in this, in poll that I'm talking about, a majority of Honduran people think that this should be one of the solutions'."

He said the survey, whose results will be announced in the future, also reveals that all Hondurans want an immediate and peaceful solution.

The popular sentiment, demonstrated by Hondurans favoring of a third party, is that a government of reconciliation and national unity be formed. Biehl agreed that a unity government should be headed by the current Minister of the Interior.

EL HERALDO learned last night, from highly credible sources, that the third party's proposal was accepted by one sector of the Zelayistas, but not by those that maintain more radical positions like Rasel Tomé, Andrés Tamayo and Carlos Eduardo Reina (who long ago was "desvisado" [lost his U.S. visa] for human trafficking.)

Although the latest Micheletti proposal is akin to the results of this survey, Manuel Zelaya's position remains adamant that any agreement must pass through his return to power.

Translated from El Heraldo

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