Manuel Zelaya, who was deposed from Honduras' presidency in a June 28 military coup, on Wednesday called on the visiting Organization of American States (OAS) mission not to be complacent with the post-coup government and gave a deadline of Oct. 15 for his restitution to power.
"The regime is planning to stay in power longer and deepen the crisis by refusing to reinstate the president elected by the people," he said in a statement read to local media by colleague Carlos Reina. The regime "continues to suppress the people, blocking media that oppose the regime, doing away with public freedoms and jailing opposition members," the statement continued.
The statement also accused the post-coup government of forgetting the San Jose Accord and pushing a different plan, the Guaymuras Dialogue, via maneuvering that is really a delaying tactic.
It called for explanations on what Zelaya called the "soft and complacent" attitude OAS delegates were showing with the de facto government, by following an agenda outlined by Roberto Micheletti, who took over the presidency after the coup, and sidelining Zelaya.
The OAS mission, leaded by OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza, arrived on Wednesday at the Hernan Acosta Mejia airbase close to Honduras capital Tegucigalpa in several planes.
The delegates were formally welcomed by Marta Lorena, who took power as junior foreign minister thanks to the coup, and taken to a hotel.
The delegation include several foreign ministers, including Costa Rica's Bruno Stagno, El Salvador's Hugo Martinez, Brazil's Ruy Lima Casaes de Silva, Mexico's Patricia Espinosa, Guatemala's Haroldo Rodas and Ecuador's Fander Falconi. Deputy foreign ministers on the mission are Jamaica's Kenneth Baugh and Panama's Meliton Arrocha.
It also includes Spanish secretary of state with responsibility for Ibero-America, Juan Pablo de la Iglesia; Argentina's OAS representative, Hugo Gil; and a representative of the United Nation general secretariat.
The de facto government has sent three people to talk with the delegation: lawyer Armando Aguilar Cruz, businessman Arturo Corrales and Vilma Morales, a former Supreme Court chief.
Zelaya has sent three people: Mayra Mejia, his labor minister; Juan Barahona, a union leader; and Victor Meza, the interior minister.