Honduras Talks at Impasse

The good news about the crisis in Honduras: both sides have agreed to talks and are currently meeting in Costa Rica under the direction of Nobel laureate Oscar Arias. The bad news? The talks aren't going anywhere and are unlikely to. Ousted President Manuel Zelaya will not accept anything short of full reinstatement and leaders of the coup that sent him packing in his pajamas last week insist that reinstatement is not an option for the unpopular Zelaya. Neither Zelaya nor Roberto Micheletti, the former leader of Congress sworn in to replace him, are participating directly in the meeting. Although appeals have come in from leaders around the world to return the controversial and disliked but democratically elected Zelaya to power, Honduran officials insist he acted illegally in attempting to go ahead with a constitutional referendum declared unconstitutional by the Honduran Supreme Court.