Honduras court backs Zelaya sacking

TEGUCIGALPA, Thursday

Honduras’ Supreme Court ruled yesterday that ousted President Manuel Zelaya cannot legally return to office, dimming the possibility of his reinstatement after a June coup, court sources said.

The Court did not release the full text of its non-binding ruling, but a court source and a lawyer close to the proceedings said it closely follows earlier decisions upholding Mr Zelaya’s sacking after he moved to change the Constitution.

On June 28, soldiers removed Mr Zelaya from office and sent him into exile on orders from the Supreme Court.

The Congress swore in Mr Roberto Micheletti to head the new government, but the world denounced the move and refused to recognise the interim government.

The Court’s opinion will be passed to lawmakers as part of a US-backed deal between both sides that calls on Congress to decide whether or not Mr Zelaya can be reinstated.

The opinion may sway Congress’ December 2 vote against Mr Zelaya, who snuck back into the country in September and is camped out inside the Brazilian embassy. Honduran soldiers have surrounded the embassy.

Mr Zelaya pulled out of the US-brokered deal earlier this month and says he will refuse to return to power.

Honduras will hold a presidential election on Sunday that was scheduled long before the coup.

Possible solution

Neither Mr Zelaya nor Mr Micheletti is running and the United States sees the vote as a possible solution to the stalemate.

Meanwhile, the foreign policy adviser to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has warned that the US risks souring relations with much of Latin America if it recognises the Honduras poll.

“The United States will become isolated. That is very bad for the United States and its relationship with Latin America,” Mr Marco Aurelio Garcia told Reuters, after he spoke on the telephone to White House national security adviser Jim Jones.

“Very important countries — the majority in terms of population and political weight — won’t recognize (the result),” said Mr Garcia. Much of Latin America had hoped that US President Barack Obama would herald a new era, after eight years of the unpopular Bush administration and decades of perceived meddling by Washington. “It would be good if that expectation were not frustrated,” Mr Garcia said he told Mr Jones. (Reuters)