<!-- IMAGE -->President-elect Porfirio Lobo of Honduras is wasting no time in seeking to heal the Central American nation's wounds and end its long-running political crisis. Elected November 29 after winning his party’s nomination a year earlier, he has moved quickly to pull the nation together and reach out to other countries that have condemned the June coup that removed his predecessor, Manuel Zelaya. These are positive steps in much needed reconciliation there.
In a recent meeting with the presidents of Costa Rica and Panama, Mr. Lobo endorsed the principles of the Tegucigalpa-San Jose Accord, the agreement negotiated and agreed to by President Zelaya and the de facto regime now running Honduras to set it on the path to restoring the democratic constitutional order. The president-elect said that even before he takes office, he will work to establish an interim national unity government and a truth commission to clarify the events surrounding the June 28 coup. He has also proposed that amnesty be granted to those involved on both sides of the conflict.
The stakes are high as Honduras's leaders work to put the crisis behind them. The nation is badly divided. Its economy is suffering. Poverty, crime and drug-related violence require urgent action.
The way is now clear out of the crisis, however. It lies through dialogue, national reconciliation and respecting the will of the Honduran voters.
In a recent meeting with the presidents of Costa Rica and Panama, Mr. Lobo endorsed the principles of the Tegucigalpa-San Jose Accord, the agreement negotiated and agreed to by President Zelaya and the de facto regime now running Honduras to set it on the path to restoring the democratic constitutional order. The president-elect said that even before he takes office, he will work to establish an interim national unity government and a truth commission to clarify the events surrounding the June 28 coup. He has also proposed that amnesty be granted to those involved on both sides of the conflict.
The stakes are high as Honduras's leaders work to put the crisis behind them. The nation is badly divided. Its economy is suffering. Poverty, crime and drug-related violence require urgent action.
The way is now clear out of the crisis, however. It lies through dialogue, national reconciliation and respecting the will of the Honduran voters.
