Lanny Davis proposes a new solution for Honduras

Yes, everybody’s talking about the Prize. Still, here’s an ongoing story,

Former White House Counsel under Bill Clinton Lanny Davis has a proposal for Honduras,
A New Solution For Honduras
Micheletti should resign. Zelaya should renounce his desire to be restored to power.Davis summarizes the situation accurately:

This past July, the United States, the Organization of American States, and the European Union came together to persuade the divided forces of Honduras to reach a solution on the controversy over the removal of former President Manuel Zelaya. The mediation process was led by Costa Rican President Oscar Arias and was encouraged by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

But that process, dubbed the “San Jose Accord” by Mr. Arias, did not result in any accord at all. One view, supported by the U.S., the OAS, and the EU—as well as Mr. Zelaya and his supporters—is that Mr. Zelaya was illegally ousted without a fair trial. According to this camp, the only solution is to restore him to the presidency.

The opposing view—held by most leaders of Honduras’s civil society, the four major presidential candidates, the Catholic Church, and virtually all institutions of the civil government—is that Mr. Zelaya had acted illegally when he attempted to extend his term by referendum. Thus his removal from office as a result of a unanimous Supreme Court decision and an overwhelming vote by Congress was entirely justified.

What’s made the situation even more intractable is that the U.S., the OAS and the EU have strongly suggested that they will not recognize the results of the upcoming Nov. 29 presidential elections. They took this position without taking into account that the electoral process is supervised, pursuant to the Honduran constitution, by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal. The tribunal is thoroughly independent of the executive branch led by Roberto Micheletti.

And, as you already know, the primaries for candidates had already taken place prior to Zelaya’s outsting.

Davis suggests that Micheletti resign after the election, which, by the way, Micheletti himself has said he would do were Zelaya give up being reinstated:

For Mr. Zelaya, agreeing to renounce his claim to be restored as president under these circumstances should not be a great sacrifice since the constitution bars him from seeking a second term. Even if he is restored to power, after Nov. 29 he would be a lame duck president for less than two months until the inauguration of the new president on Jan. 26, 2010. If they get their way in current discussion, his supporters will have won important legal, social and economic reforms.

Mr. Zelaya could also claim he never ceased being president, so he is “resigning.” The constitutional authorities in Honduras will call it a renunciation, as he is no longer president in their view. And they can be relieved that he is finally gone and cannot undermine the legitimacy of the coming presidential elections. That’s a good diplomatic compromise for both sides.

What was Zelaya doing this afternoon?

Inflaming the works by saying that sharpshooters are aiming at him in the Brazilian embassy.