Ousted Zelaya Heads to DC to Meet Clinton

Diplomatic efforts to restore Manuel Zelaya to Honduras' presidency shifted back to Washington today as his supporters threatened to escalate protests and disrupt business across the empoverished Central American nation. A day after failing to land in Honduras to confront the interim government that ousted him, Zelaya boarded a plane in Nicaragua bound for Washington to meet with Hillary Clinton, US officials said.

Zelaya said last night he hopes to ensure US support for diplomatic efforts to see him restored to power. A senior US official said one option was trying to forge a compromise between Zelaya and the country’s new leadership under which Zelaya would be allowed to serve out his remaining 6 months in office with limited and clearly defined powers. Zelaya, in return, would pledge to drop his aspirations for a constitutional change that might allow him to run for another term. (More Honduras stories.)