Honduran rivals pass ball to councilors, face-to-face meeting fail

MEXICO CITY, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya and post-coup leader Roberto Micheletti met Thursday with Costa Rican President Oscar Arias respectively in San Jose, but Micheletti swiftly left the country, squashing all hopes of a face-to-face meeting.

Honduras' ousted President Manuel Zelaya (L) talks with Costa  Rican President Oscar Arias in front of Oscar Arias's residence  in San Jose, capital of Costa Rica, July 9, 2009. Manuel Zelaya  and Honduran post-coup leader Roberto Micheletti are due to make  mediation dialogue hosted by Oscar Arias here on Thursday to try to thrash out a solution to the political crisis triggered by  last month's coup in the Central American state. (Xinhua/Esteban Datos)

Arias, a 1987 Nobel Peace Prize winner, was accepted by both parties to serve as a mediator in the talks.

The gathering was scheduled for two days. But it ended with the naming of four commissioners on each side to continue the talks shortly after Micheletti left Arias' home. Noticeably, Zelaya and Micheletti were not able to bring themselves to speak to one another.

Speaking to the press when ending his meeting with Arias, Zelaya demanded "the reestablishment of law, democracy and the return of Honduras' elected president."

Micheletti told reporters, as he left Arias' home, that he was "satisfied" with the talks, but did not go into details. He left directly for the airport.

Zelaya, who was seized in his bed by heavily armed troops and forced to leave the country by plane, has received the backing of the United Nations, the Central American Integration System and a host of international bodies.

Micheletti, who took power after claiming to the Honduran legislature that Zelaya had resigned due to poor health, has failed to receive any international recognition from other countries or multilateral organizations.

Micheletti's presence in Costa Rica sparked protests from students there, who went to the streets close to Arias' home, a one-story suburban dwelling with few security guards.