Negotiators in the Honduras crisis set off by the 28 June ouster of President Manuel Zelaya on Thursday picked up stalled talks, under growing international pressure.

Zelaya's representatives agreed to restart dialogue following a new proposal from the de facto government of Roberto Micheletti, both sides confirmed.

"There's a new proposal and we're going to analyse it, I don't know if we'll accept it or not," Rodil Rivera, a member of Zelaya's team told journalists late on Thursday.

The de facto government confirmed talks had restarted in a statement, but did not give details of the new plan.

The talks stalled earlier this week on the issue of Zelaya's return to office before elections next month.

Zelaya's team rejected as "insulting" a proposal from Micheletti's team that the Supreme Court — which accused Zelaya of 18 crimes ahead of the coup — should rule on the issue.

Zelaya's backers had said they would only return to talks if the ousted leader, who has been holed up in the Brazilian embassy for a month, first returned to office.

Meanwhile, Honduran election officials visiting Washington insisted that 29 November polls will go ahead despite growing scepticism from the international community.

Zelaya's term runs out in January.

A fair election under threat

International observers say the current mayhem would prevent a fair election campaign.

The European Commission on Thursday joined the United Nations and the Organisation of American States in saying they will not monitor the polls.

"Under no circumstances can we send an observation mission to Honduras," said Petros Mavromichalis, a EU regional official, speaking in Panama.

Amid growing criticism of the heavy-handed de facto regime, a report by a Honduran rights group, the Committee for Missing Prisoners in Honduras, said that 21 people had been "executed by violence or murder" since the coup, and that there had been more than 4000 cases of human rights abuses.

The regime has said four people have been killed since 28 June.

The pan-American OAS called on Wednesday on the de facto leaders to protect Zelaya's safety, and condemned its "hostile actions" against the Brazilian embassy, after troops blasted loud music at the compound.

The United States, the country's main backer, has suspended millions of dollars in financial aid programmes and cancelled US visas for top regime officials and backers. Some Latin American leaders say they should go further.

Zelaya's ouster was backed by the country's courts, Congress and business leaders, and came after he swerved to the left and aligned himself with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

AFP

ET back on his high horse "We are being oppressed again. We will rise again." Eugene Terre'Blanche is back. Again.

Time to say goodbye? Mmm... Mmmaa... Mmmaaleh... The Point would like to boycott the chubby-cheeked one.

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