Costa Rica Plays Host to Peace Talks, Again

Two days of talks in Costa Rica aimed at ending the political crisis in Honduras have ended without agreement.

Mediators from the host country said the two sides had agreed to resume talks shortly but some regional leaders said they saw little sign of progress.

Ousted President Manuel Zelaya and interim leader Roberto Micheletti had refused to meet but held separate talks with Costa Rican President Oscar Arias.

Correspondents say the former allies’ positions remain far apart.

Mr Zelaya, who was removed from Honduras at gun point in a coup last month, continues to describe Mr Micheletti as a criminal, while Mr Micheletti’s interim government has said Mr Zelaya will be arrested if he tries to return to the country.

Both men left the talks on Thursday, leaving delegations behind to continue the discussions.

Rival delegations are to continue talks with Mr Arias (right)

Mr Zelaya flew to the Dominican Republic, where he is hoping to gather more support, and Mr Micheletti has returned to Honduras.

On arriving back in the Honduran capital, Tegucigalpa, Mr Micheletti said: “We are in agreement with his [Mr Zelaya's] return here – but to be sent directly to the courts.”

Shortly after his return, Mr Micheletti announced he had accepted the resignation of his de facto Foreign Minister, Enrique Ortez, for using racially offensive language about US President Barack Obama.

Mr Ortez was reported to have described Mr Obama as “negrito” – meaning “little black man” – which Mr Micheletti said was “a scandalous epithet”.

‘Timid measures’

On Friday, Hugo Chavez, the President of Venezuela and one of Mr Zelaya’s key supporters, said the talks in Costa Rica were dead and that it was “horrible” to see the “usurper” Mr Micheletti being treated with deference by Mr Arias.

CRISIS TIMELINE 28 June: Troops expel Zelaya; Micheletti becomes interim leader 29 June: US President Obama condemns the overthrow as illegal 4 July: Organization of American States suspends Honduras 5 July: Zelaya’s jet is turned back from Honduras, amid clashes 9 July: Micheletti leaves mediated talks in Costa Rica

Mr Chavez also criticised what he said were “timid measures” by the US in response to the crisis and demanded to know why they had not recalled their ambassador imposed sanctions.

The BBC’s Charles Scanlon in the region says much will now depend on what Washington decides to do next.

The US has already cut some aid to Honduras but has not exerted its full economic and diplomatic muscle, says our correspondent.

The political crisis erupted after Mr Zelaya attempted to hold a non-binding public consultation to ask people whether they supported moves to change the constitution.

Opponents said that could have led to the removal of the current one-term limit on serving as president and so paved the way for Mr Zelaya’s possible re-election.

He was forced out of Honduras at gunpoint on 28 June.

Costa Rica Immersion C: Ziplines, Goodbye Party, and Hot Springs

Greetings All!

We’re officially on the last leg of the trip! While saying goodbye to our host families in Las Brisas wasn’t easy, our Costa Rican families and friends prepared a fun ‘despedida’ (‘farewell’) party for the whole community. While the night began on a more formal note, with Asha, Rachel, Jake and Cameron expressing their gratitude on behalf of the entire group, it soon erupted into an evening of games, including potato sack races and tug-a-war. As a response to a dare from some local elementary school girls, a bunch of Walking Tree boys even belly danced in front of everyone! To top it all off was a pinata; while a few of us got a few good swings at it, it was ultimately Nik who brought the house down with a flying knee kick! We also had live music, courtesy of Jake, who played “La Bamba” on his guitar and danced to salsa and merengue throughout the night.

The week before our going away began with a two-day trip to La Fortuna, where the renowned active volcano, Arenal, still oozes lava that can be seen on cloudless days. Although we’re in the rainy ‘invierno’ (‘winter’) season, we were able to get a glimpse of the peak. We spent our first afternoon at a resort filled with natural hot springs, where the group took a special liking to the waterslides that claim to send people as fast as 30mph down the tube. We concluded the day with a big buffet, complete with a chocolate fountain and strawberries.

The next morning, before heading back to the village, we made a stop at a local river where we each took our turn with a rope-swing that some of the local youth put up for us. Ian was even able to make a Lotus position mid-air.

Once we returned to work on the work site, we achieved our group goal of finishing the cement foundation! Although the final building will not be complete for another year or so, we know that we completed the more difficult rudimentary components of construction, and are confident that it was left in good enough shape for our foremen, Edwin and Emilio, to take over, as well as future Walking Tree groups.

After our departure, we made our way westward to Monteverde, one of the more popular attractions on Costa Rica’s ecotourism route. Nik, who just turned 17, was especially excited for the town’s famous zip-lines. Hooked up to cables, we soared above cloud forests and jungle canopies. We trailed each other on 17 lines, some short and others long, with each of us taking the 30-foot plunge off the Tarzan Swing. Later that night, we celebrated Nik’s birthday at a local restaurant with pizza and icecream. The next day, we caught up on some R&R and gave the students some time reflect on their experience while eating smores around a fireplace.

Back in San Jose with just two days left, it’s hard to believe that a month has already gone by. But we’re making sure to take advantage of every last minute, and will be heading out for a rafting adventure on the Pacuare River early tomorrow morning.

Until Next Time,

The Immersion C Group