Honduran President Manuel Zelaya

After months of resistance, the de facto government of Honduras relented today and agreed to a deal to restore deposed President Manuel Zelaya to power. "This is a triumph for Honduran democracy," Zelaya, ousted in a military-backed coup on June 28, said from the Brazilian Embassy in the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa. Zelaya was deported in the coup but sneaked back into the country on Sept. 21 and took refuge in the diplomatic mission. The breakthrough came when the coup-installed government succumbed to U.S. pressure.

Nearly two years after former Honduran President Manuel Zelaya was ousted in a military coup, he returned home Saturday. His arrival clears the way for the Organization of American States to reinstate Honduras, which had been expelled from the group, during a special session Wednesday. Zelaya's return and Wednesday's expected OAS vote mean Honduras will no longer be a pariah in the hemisphere, which rightfully condemned the coup. But it would be a mistake to conclude that the crisis in that country is over.

The man who replaced President Manuel Zelaya in a coup said Thursday that he would be willing to hold elections ahead of schedule if that would ease the standoff, which has left Honduras badly isolated. The offer from Roberto Micheletti came on the eve of a high-level visit by a delegation of the Organization of American States aimed at sealing Zelaya's return to office -- or deciding on sanctions to punish the impoverished nation.

Manuel Zelaya, the president of Honduras ousted in a military-led coup nearly two years ago, returned home from exile Saturday, greeted by a large, heated crowd and a nation still bitterly divided by tension and violence. With Zelaya's return, Honduras hopes to end its political and diplomatic isolation and overcome one of the ugliest periods of recent Central American history. Zelaya pledged to immediately reengage in politics and will probably lead a new party. "This is the moment to declare victory for the democratic process in Latin America," Zelaya proclaimed.

The Obama administration last week brokered what looked like a promising deal to end the political crisis in Honduras. Sadly, this week it already is fraying. The de facto leaders of Honduras are foot-dragging, prompting President Manuel Zelaya, whom they ousted in a civilian-military coup four months ago, to issue an ultimatum from his refuge in the Brazilian Embassy in Tegucigalpa, the Honduran capital. Both sides need to stand down and focus on restoring democracy before the country's Nov. 29 presidential election.

Honduran President Manuel Zelaya is calling for a revamped constitution, following the path of his leftist allies in the region. Zelaya announced a nationwide poll on June 24 to gauge whether Honduras should hold a binding vote on whether to draft a new charter. The current constitution was adopted in 1982 as Honduras was emerging from military rule. Zelaya did not specify the changes a new constitution might include, but reforms promoted by other Latin American leaders have expanded presidential powers and eased bans on reelection.

Nearly two years after former Honduran President Manuel Zelaya was ousted in a military coup, he returned home Saturday. His arrival clears the way for the Organization of American States to reinstate Honduras, which had been expelled from the group, during a special session Wednesday. Zelaya's return and Wednesday's expected OAS vote mean Honduras will no longer be a pariah in the hemisphere, which rightfully condemned the coup. But it would be a mistake to conclude that the crisis in that country is over.

When President Obama attended the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago last April, he promised a new beginning in the United States' historically fraught relations with Latin America. Since then, however, Latin Americans have seen more continuity than change, whether it's the failure to lift the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba, the new agreement to expand the use of military bases in Colombia or the handling of the recent coup in Honduras. In fact, the bungling of the Honduran crisis has further damaged U.S. credibility and caused a rift with strategic partners in South America.

Reporting from Mexico City and Tegucigalpa, Honduras -- Representatives of Honduran President Manuel Zelaya and the de facto leaders who deposed him in a coup last June came together Wednesday in an effort to end the political crisis that has divided and isolated this impoverished nation. With foreign ministers and diplomats on hand to nudge the deeply polarized parties, a tense round of negotiations got underway aimed at rescuing Honduras from what one participant called "darkness, infinite chaos, fear and uncertainty."

Just eight months ago, President Obama was calling Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva "my man" and suggesting that the South American country could become a leading U.S. partner in the region. Since then, Brazil has criticized the U.S. approach to the coup in Honduras and warned the United States over plans to expand its military presence in Colombia. U.S. officials, for their part, have complained about Lula's increasing efforts to form economic and political ties with a leading American adversary, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The military-backed coup that ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya last year left behind a bitterly divided country that remains dangerously tense. This month, a five-member, internationally backed Truth and Reconciliation Commission was formally installed, amid much fanfare and low expectations, to investigate events before, during and after the coup. Presiding over the panel is Eduardo Stein, an experienced diplomat and former vice president of Guatemala who helped negotiate an end to his nation's brutal civil war. Stein spoke to The Times from Tegucigalpa, the Honduran capital, a day after the commission was sworn in — and it's already being criticized by both sides of the political divide.

Just eight months ago, President Obama was calling Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva "my man" and suggesting that the South American country could become a leading U.S. partner in the region. Since then, Brazil has criticized the U.S. approach to the coup in Honduras and warned the United States over plans to expand its military presence in Colombia. U.S. officials, for their part, have complained about Lula's increasing efforts to form economic and political ties with a leading American adversary, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

When President Obama attended the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago last April, he promised a new beginning in the United States' historically fraught relations with Latin America. Since then, however, Latin Americans have seen more continuity than change, whether it's the failure to lift the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba, the new agreement to expand the use of military bases in Colombia or the handling of the recent coup in Honduras. In fact, the bungling of the Honduran crisis has further damaged U.S. credibility and caused a rift with strategic partners in South America.

Honduran President Manuel Zelaya, ousted in a military-backed coup four months ago, said today that a U.S.-brokered deal to end his nation's political crisis has collapsed. Zelaya pronounced the week-old agreement a "dead letter" after de facto rulers formed a new "reconciliation government" without Zelaya's participation, as the deal had required. "The accord is a dead letter," Zelaya said on a Honduran radio station. "There is no sense in continuing to fool the Honduran people."

The Obama administration last week brokered what looked like a promising deal to end the political crisis in Honduras. Sadly, this week it already is fraying. The de facto leaders of Honduras are foot-dragging, prompting President Manuel Zelaya, whom they ousted in a civilian-military coup four months ago, to issue an ultimatum from his refuge in the Brazilian Embassy in Tegucigalpa, the Honduran capital. Both sides need to stand down and focus on restoring democracy before the country's Nov. 29 presidential election.

After months of resistance, the de facto government of Honduras relented today and agreed to a deal to restore deposed President Manuel Zelaya to power. "This is a triumph for Honduran democracy," Zelaya, ousted in a military-backed coup on June 28, said from the Brazilian Embassy in the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa. Zelaya was deported in the coup but sneaked back into the country on Sept. 21 and took refuge in the diplomatic mission. The breakthrough came when the coup-installed government succumbed to U.S. pressure.

The military-backed coup that ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya last year left behind a bitterly divided country that remains dangerously tense. This month, a five-member, internationally backed Truth and Reconciliation Commission was formally installed, amid much fanfare and low expectations, to investigate events before, during and after the coup. Presiding over the panel is Eduardo Stein, an experienced diplomat and former vice president of Guatemala who helped negotiate an end to his nation's brutal civil war. Stein spoke to The Times from Tegucigalpa, the Honduran capital, a day after the commission was sworn in — and it's already being criticized by both sides of the political divide.

Representatives of ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya and the de facto government that replaced him in a coup returned to negotiations Monday, but the two sides remained deadlocked over whether to return Zelaya to power. Both delegations had suggested Monday as a deadline for resolving the dispute, or calling off talks altogether. De facto President Roberto Micheletti abruptly announced Friday that the Supreme Court was the body that should decide whether to reinstate Zelaya.

Representatives of ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya and the de facto government that replaced him in a coup returned to negotiations Monday, but the two sides remained deadlocked over whether to return Zelaya to power. Both delegations had suggested Monday as a deadline for resolving the dispute, or calling off talks altogether. De facto President Roberto Micheletti abruptly announced Friday that the Supreme Court was the body that should decide whether to reinstate Zelaya.

Reporting from Mexico City and Tegucigalpa, Honduras -- Representatives of Honduran President Manuel Zelaya and the de facto leaders who deposed him in a coup last June came together Wednesday in an effort to end the political crisis that has divided and isolated this impoverished nation. With foreign ministers and diplomats on hand to nudge the deeply polarized parties, a tense round of negotiations got underway aimed at rescuing Honduras from what one participant called "darkness, infinite chaos, fear and uncertainty."