Zelaya asks U.S. to clarify stand on Honduran elections

Ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya On Wednesday requested the United States to clarify whether it will recognize the Nov. 29 elections if he is not returned to power first.

Zelaya asked U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in a letter to "clarify to the Honduran people if the position condemning the coup d'etat has been changed or modified."

Zelaya's request came after Washington's top envoy to Latin America Thomas Shannon told CNN that the U.S. government would recognize the elections of Nov. 29 and that Zelaya's restitution was an issue of the Honduran Congress which could make a decision before or after the elections.

In the letter, Zelaya said the Verification Commission set up on Tuesday is "the only one authorized to interpret the Tegucigalpa-San Jose Agreement" which foresees his immediate restitution.

The agreement was reached between de facto Honduran leader Robert Micheletti and Zelaya last week to solve the Honduran political crisis.

The pact includes a power-sharing government and a congressional decision on Zelaya's brief reinstatement ahead of a presidential election slated for Nov. 29.

The Verification Commission of the agreement on Wednesday rejected Zelaya's immediate reinstatement, saying that everything would be done "step by step."

Source: Xinhua