Deposed Honduran President Manuel Zelaya was to meet with the country's interim leader amid talk that a congressional amnesty could clear the way for Zelaya's return.

The two days of talks between Zelaya and Roberto Micheletti, who have both insisted that they will not "negotiate", are being hosted by Costa Rican President Oscar Arias, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, at his home in San Jose.

"It seems to me that there is willingness on both sides to seek a negotiated settlement through diplomacy, through dialogue," Arias said on Wednesday.

But both Zelaya and Micheletti — who was sworn in by Congress just hours after Zelaya's removal in a coup — have made public statements suggesting the contrary.

"We're not going to negotiate, we're going to talk," Micheletti said on Wednesday, as Zelaya told Chilean television that the meeting would plan "the exit of the coup leaders" and described his political opponent as a "thug".

Micheletti deepened doubt about the summit by saying he had not even made a final decision on whether he would attend the talks, after his political allies raised concerns that he could face "arrest" abroad.

Members of the Organisation of American States (OAS), including the United States, nonetheless offered support for the dialogue, hoping that talks could offer a way out of the crisis that erupted with Zelaya's overthrow on 28 June.

"There needs to be a specific mediator and, to that end, we are supporting the efforts of President Arias of Costa Rica to serve in this important role," US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters.

State Department spokesperson Ian Kelly welcomed the Costa Rican initiative on Wednesday saying: "We hope through this mechanism, there will be a peaceful resolution of this conflict."

Ahead of the talks, the Honduras Supreme Court, which certified the legality of Zelaya's arrest and expulsion from the country, offered a potential way for the ousted head of state to return.

Jorge Rivera, head of the Supreme Court, said a congressionally-granted amnesty would allow Zelaya to re-enter Honduras, where an arrest warrant accusing him of treason has been issued.

Zelaya tried to fly home from Washington in a Venezuelan plane on Sunday, circling above Tegucigalpa's airport while police and protestors clashed in violence that left two dead, but he failed to land after military vehicles blocked the runway.

Some Honduran lawmakers offered support for an amnesty, noting its potential for national reconciliation.

"Amnesty and all other options must be addressed through a national dialogue that involves all sectors of Honduran society," said Antonio Rivera, a member of the National Party, which supported Zelaya's ouster.

Christian Democrat lawmaker Anibal Solis also offered support, saying: "it would be an acceptable formula to bring peace to the country."

AFP

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