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