Honduras Leadership in Limbo as Accord Dissolves

A supporter of Honduras' ousted President Manuel Zelaya stands in front of a row of riot policemen...

A supporter of Honduras' ousted President Manuel Zelaya stands in front of a row of riot policemen during a protest in Tegucigalpa, Monday, Oct. 5, 2009. Diplomats from throughout the hemisphere were converging Wednesday on Honduras to resolve a standoff that has left the impoverished Central American country with two presidents, a capital scarred by protests and a bitterly divided population.

(Rodrigo Abd/AP Photo)

They can't both be right. Ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya says a deal that could have returned him to power is defunct. Roberto Micheletti, who took power after a coup, says the same deal has been successfully accomplished.

The Obama Administration, caught in the middle of a power struggle in this tiny Central American nation, was urgently pressing Friday for the survival of an accord it hailed as "a historic victory for democracy."

"No, it's not dead, but maybe sleeping for the time being," said State Department press spokesman Fred Lash.

A senior State Department official said the stakes are high and time is short.

"If the parties let this fall apart you're going to see problems with international recognition of the elections," the official said, insisting on speaking anonymously due to the sensitive nature of the discussions.

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Micheletti's backers hope a clean vote for a new president will force the world to accept that politics has returned to normal in Honduras. Zelaya's backers accuse the coup-installed officials of trying to delay his return to power — at least until the election.

Honduras, one of the poorest nations in the hemisphere, plunged into political crisis four months ago when Zelaya was forced out of bed in his pajamas and flown to Costa Rica. He sneaked back into his country on September 21, and has been holed up in the Brazilian Embassy ever since under threat of arrest.

With a presidential election just three weeks away, the U.S. and the rest of the international community — which cut off most foreign aid and diplomatic ties after the coup — are urgently seeking a resolution.

But the key players seemed less inclined to find common ground.

"The negotiations have come to an end," Zelaya, who huddled with supporters, told The Associated Press. "We have declared that there is no possibility of recognizing that accord."