The problem is with the Honduran Constitution:

He called it “the worst in the entire world” and “an invitation to coups.”

It lacks an impeachment process, “so I imagine the only way of calling the president to account was to oust him,” he said. “This is something that will have to be resolved, and the best way to do this is, if we can’t have a constitutional election, is to have certain reforms so this Honduran constitution ceases to be the worst in the entire world.” (emphasis added)

Even if, as President Arias says, the Constitution of Honduras is “the worst in the world,” (I disagree; there are others, far worse) why is he complaining about it being followed? Isn’t that what countries are expected to do? Isn’t that an internal affair? Why should President Arias, and his colleagues Presidents Obama and Chavez, demand that the Honduran Constitution be violated since they evidently don’t agree with it?

“It was just announced on the news that US Ambassador Hugo Llorens is assisting ex-president Mel Zelaya to set up a parallel government led by Zelaya within Honduras. They showed Llorens big toothy grinning face over and over again.

“Have the United States of America led by President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton lost their minds?”

The answer to the rhetorical question in the second paragraph of the quote seems obvious.

“Today local radio America has spread a version that states that the US embassy in Tegucigalpa would host the paralell [sic] govt. of Manuel Zelaya. The version says that the ambassador Hugo Llorenz has ready 6 limousines ready to transport the members of Zelaya’s cabinet to the embassy. Some of his top officials are wanted by honduran justice.”

Oh well. Same day, different stuff. For whom are they working?

Honduras has given Brazil ten days in which to decide what to do with Zelaya.

According to the Honduran Government,

“Since the clandestine arrival to Honduras by ex-president Zelaya, the Brazil embassy has been used to instigate violence and insurrection against the Honduran people and the constitutional government,” the secretary of foreign affairs for Honduras’ de facto government said in a statement late Saturday night.”

“The statement said Honduras would be forced to take measures against Brazil if Brazil did not define its position on Zelaya. It did not specify what those measures would be.”

“No country is able to tolerate that a foreign embassy is used as a command base to generate violence and break tranquility like Mr. Zelaya has been doing in our country since his arrival,” the statement said.”

“The Red Cross says it found no urgent humanitarian needs inside the embassy.

However, a spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross, Marcal Izard, would not confirm or deny Mr Zelaya’s allegations – including his accusation of a toxic gas attack on Friday.”

Mr. Zelaya’s complaint seems itself to be a bit of a “gas.”

Meanwhile, thousands of Hondurans marched, peacefully, opposing international intervention and supporting the November 29 elections.

“‘There is a man who was with him yesterday or last night, and he talked for a long time with him (Zelaya) and his friends, and the results are nil,’ Mr Micheletti said. “He (Zelaya) says ‘restoration or death’.”

“Asked under what circumstances Mr Zelaya could leave the Brazilian Embassy where he took refuge after sneaking back into the country early this week, Mr Micheletti replied ‘either through political asylum or by obeying the courts.’

“Mr Micheletti insisted that if Mr Zelaya stays in the country, he must turn himself over to face charges of treason and abuse of authority for repeatedly ignoring court orders to drop plans for a referendum on rewriting the constitution – the issue that sparked the coup.”

“Mr. Zelaya said he has no intention of leaving Honduras – or abandoning the office to which he was elected.”

In another report, it was stated:

“In an interview with Cuban state television, Zelaya said Thursday that the meeting took place the night before and that the proposal offered by ‘interim’ leader Roberto Micheletti was for both men to renounce their claims to the presidency and for a third person to take the reins of power ahead of elections later this year.

“‘The idea is for him to step down but for us to choose another president; in other words, it’s another coup … because they already did one and they think it’s easy to do another. But that’s unacceptable to us and the international community, because they’re mocking the sovereign (power), which is the people who choose the president,’ Zelaya said.”

As to the contention of the United States Government, Venezuela, the UN, the OAS et al and Mr. Zelaya that his removal from office was a “coup,” I again refer to the Report of the Congressional Research Service, linked in Comment #65.

Sept. 25 (Bloomberg) — Honduras’s ousted President Manuel Zelaya said he will recognize elections in November, meeting a condition set by the acting government to reopen talks on ending the country’s political crisis.

This comes as no surprise. As anticipated, it is “A foreign policy gone mad, in which good is bad and friend is foe.”

He today “asked his supporters to keep protesting for his return to office, despite the start of tentative talks with the de facto regime.

“We urge the resistance to maintain the battle until together, people and president, we achieve the constitutional reforms and the fall of the usurpers,” Zelaya said in a statement.”(emphasis added)

As far as I know, that is the first recent pronouncement that his “constitutional reforms” must go forward.

Article 239 of the Honduran Constitution relates to presidential terms of office and states that it can not be changed. It is one of three provisions which can not be changed:

“Title VII, with two chapters, outlines the process of amending the constitution and sets forth the principle of constitutional inviolability. The constitution may be amended by the National Congress after a two-thirds vote of all its members in two consecutive regular annual sessions. However, several constitutional provisions may not be amended. These consist of the amendment process itself, as well as provisions covering the form of government, national territory, and several articles covering the presidency, including term of office and prohibition from reelection.”