(Bloomberg) -- Latin American governments praised an accord that may end the political stalemate in Honduras by allowing the country’s Congress to vote on whether ousted President Manuel Zelaya should be restored to power.
Chile, Brazil and Argentina were among governments that said the agreement could lead to a democratic solution to the crisis. Zelaya and acting Honduran President Roberto Micheletti vowed to respect the results of the vote, which hasn’t been scheduled, said Thomas Shannon, the assistant U.S. secretary of state for Western Hemisphere Affairs.
“I can assure you that both sides are reaching out to members of Congress right now in trying to build levels of political support that will favor the outcome that each of them would prefer,” Shannon told reporters today in Tegucigalpa.
The agreement may make it more palatable for governments outside Honduras to recognize the Nov. 29 presidential election and end economic sanctions even if lawmakers vote against restoring Zelaya, said Heather Berkman, a political risk analyst at the Eurasia Group in New York
“Everyone wants him back in power because that’s the right thing to do,” Berkman said in a phone interview. “But this allows a way to get out of that.”
Court Orders
The military expelled Zelaya from the country June 28 after he ignored court orders to stop pursuing a referendum that would ask Hondurans if they wanted an assembly to rewrite the constitution. His opponents claim he planned to follow Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and his allies in modifying the constitution to remain in power.
“It is very probable President Zelaya will retake the Honduran presidency,” Chavez said in a speech in Caracas late today. “The tyrants won’t be able to return to Latin America.”
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