BBC NEWS: Honduran rivals at mediated talks
Friday, 10 July 2009 01:45 UK
Friday, 10 July 2009 01:45 UK
Mr Zelaya is hoping the mediation will see him return to office Ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya and interim leader Roberto Micheletti have held mediated talks in Costa Rica on the political crisis in Honduras. The men had separate talks with Costa Rican President Oscar Arias, who is mediating, but did not meet each other.
THE CONFLICT MONITOR: After a tense 24 hours of the two parties declaring their bottom line and positioning themselves and their allies and respective constituencies back at home against each other the talks begun today and remained at the level of separate talks. More of a shuttle diplomacy (even though President Arias was stationary) the parties "interacted" with each other indirectly. Their rhetorics have soften and we see teams shaping up which will focus most likely on the constitutionality and legality of the latest actions, both from President Zelaya before the coup and the coup leaders and current authorities. President Arias gradually separates the people from the problem and as long as the respective talking teams are considered by the parties to carry full representational authority, the talks remain on a positive track.
Should the parties have faced each other?
Well... both depend their strength on the basis of illegitimacy, if fact of criminality, of the other. A person-to-person meeting might disrupt the existent balance of power (the net power not of each party only) in ways that might produce side-effects such as confusion among and between allies and constituencies and even premature and therefore unreliable positive results. The continuation of talks, but only between teams of representatives, may indicate that the parties are ready to trust the development towards a solution on legal and constitutional grounds. This may weaken the capacity of the mediator to hope for creative solutions, such as compromise beyond the powers of law, unless the groups open the way to more direct talks. The absence of person-to-person talks has limited the process from one of Dialogue to one of shuttle diplomacy and distant mediation.
THE CONFLICT MONITOR: After a tense 24 hours of the two parties declaring their bottom line and positioning themselves and their allies and respective constituencies back at home against each other the talks begun today and remained at the level of separate talks. More of a shuttle diplomacy (even though President Arias was stationary) the parties "interacted" with each other indirectly. Their rhetorics have soften and we see teams shaping up which will focus most likely on the constitutionality and legality of the latest actions, both from President Zelaya before the coup and the coup leaders and current authorities. President Arias gradually separates the people from the problem and as long as the respective talking teams are considered by the parties to carry full representational authority, the talks remain on a positive track.
Should the parties have faced each other?
Well... both depend their strength on the basis of illegitimacy, if fact of criminality, of the other. A person-to-person meeting might disrupt the existent balance of power (the net power not of each party only) in ways that might produce side-effects such as confusion among and between allies and constituencies and even premature and therefore unreliable positive results. The continuation of talks, but only between teams of representatives, may indicate that the parties are ready to trust the development towards a solution on legal and constitutional grounds. This may weaken the capacity of the mediator to hope for creative solutions, such as compromise beyond the powers of law, unless the groups open the way to more direct talks. The absence of person-to-person talks has limited the process from one of Dialogue to one of shuttle diplomacy and distant mediation.
US Secretary of State Clinton and President Arias indicated that they hoped for a dialogue between the parties but instead we have mediation. The details of this change in strategy may become known soon.
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