"We have been officially informed that we will possibly meet in Costa Rica again on Saturday," said Roberto Micheletti at the swearing-in ceremony for his de facto government's new foreign minister.

The opening comes after two days of failed negotiations last week in San Jose between representatives of both parties, mediated by Costa Rican President Oscar Arias, who won the 1987 Nobel Peace Prize for helping resolve civil wars in Central America.

Arias previously had suggested follow-up talks could begin in about a week.

On Sunday the government lifted a two-week-old curfew imposed to quell protests after soldiers ousted the leftist Zelaya on June 28.

Micheletti, who announced the lifting in a statement broadcast on national television, maintained the curfew had been necessary to restore calm.

Following the collapsed talks, the deposed leader meanwhile moved onto Washington for meetings with US government and Organization of American States (OAS) officials, seeking support for his return to power.

Zelaya met with Thomas Shannon, the top US official for Latin America, and Dan Restrepo -- President Barack Obama's top advisor for the region -- said US State Department spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters on Monday.

The US officials "of course, reiterated our support for the restoration of democratic order in Honduras, and of course for President Arias' mediation efforts," said Kelly.

Even Pope Benedict XVI has appealed for "dialogue and reconciliation" in the crisis, which saw some 2,000 pro-Zelaya protesters take to the streets at the weekend to call for the return of their leader.

Zelaya has proposed that the next negotiations be held in Honduras, even though the interim government has refused to allow him to return and did not let his airplane land in Tegucigalpa last week.

A total of 1,270 people have been detained across the country for violating the measure, according to police.

Zelaya supporters vow to continue protest marches and road blockades demanding that their leader be reinstated.

"We are going to continue the protests," said Luis Sosa, a leader of the anti-government Popular Bloc. "Our commitment is to maintain them permanently until the democratic process is restored," Sosa told AFP.

The foreign minister of Zelaya's deposed administration suggested that the ousted government was interested in continuing the talks.

"It's a chance for each side to see what the other side is thinking," said Patricia Rodas at the weekend, speaking to the Caracas-based Telesur regional news channel from Washington, where she was accompanying Zelaya.

However she added: "It's not a dialogue between two equal parties, but an exchange of information between a criminal on the one hand, and a totally legitimate government on the other hand."

In Honduras, journalists from Telesur accused Micheletti's government of harassment.

"It is a clear case of intimidation against Telesur," said Madelein Garcia, a journalist for the news channel who sought refuge in the Venezuelan embassy in Tegucigalpa.

A Honduran government official denied the accusations and told AFP that police detained and questioned several Telesur employees about their immigration status, but all had been released.

The reporters left the country following the arrests.

Micheletti's backers on Saturday organized a massive prayer for peace in the capital's baseball stadium, backed by the Roman Catholic Church, evangelical groups and the local Jewish community.

Zelaya, a wealthy rancher who moved sharply left after taking office in January 2006, rattled his country's ruling elite by trying to bypass Congress to hold a referendum on rewriting the constitution.

He has denied charges that the move was a bid to lift the one-term presidential limit so he could seek re-election this year.

earlier related report
UN ready to assist mediate an end to Honduras crisis
UN chief Ban Ki-moon has agreed to assist Costa Rican President Oscar Arias in his bid to mediate an end the political standoff in Honduras, his spokeswoman said Monday.

Michele Montas said in a statement that the UN secretary general spoke to Arias Monday and "conveyed his support for President Arias' mediation efforts to resolve the political crisis in Honduras."

"The Secretary General has offered technical assistance for the mediation and agreed to work together with President Arias to help the parties reach an agreement," the statement noted.

It added that Ban was "confident that an open dialogue and international support will help resolve the current crisis."

With the political crisis in the impoverished central American country entering a tense third week despite the lifting of the curfew imposed after a army-backed coup that removed President Manuel Zelaya, the country's interim leader said Costa Rican-mediated talks may restart later this week.

"We have been officially informed that we will possibly meet in Costa Rica again on Saturday," said Roberto Micheletti at the swearing-in ceremony for his de facto government's new foreign minister.

The opening comes after two days of failed negotiations last week in San Jose between representatives of both parties, mediated by Arias, who won the 1987 Nobel Peace Prize for helping resolve civil wars in Central America.

Arias previously had suggested follow-up talks could begin in about a week.

Zelaya has proposed that the next negotiations be held in Honduras, even though the interim government has refused to allow him to return and did not let his airplane land in Tegucigalpa last week.

Zelaya, a wealthy rancher who moved sharply left after taking office in January 2006, rattled his country's ruling elite by trying to bypass Congress to hold a referendum on rewriting the constitution.

He has denied charges that the move was a bid to lift the one-term presidential limit so he could seek re-election this year.

earlier related report
No end in sight to Honduras political crisis
The Honduran political crisis entered a third week Monday with tensions still high despite the interim government's decision to lift a curfew after a coup that removed President Manuel Zelaya.

The de facto government led by Roberto Micheletti on Sunday lifted a two-week-old curfew imposed to quell protests after soldiers ousted the leftist Zelaya on June 28.

The deposed Honduran leader was in Washington for talks with US government and Organization of American States (OAS) officials, seeking support for his return to power.

Zelaya flew to Washington following two days of failed negotiations in San Jose with the Micheletti's representatives, mediated by Costa Rican President Oscar Arias.

Arias, who won the 1987 Nobel Peace Prize for helping resolve civil wars in Central America, suggested follow-up talks in about a week after Zelaya and Micheletti refused to meet face-to-face.

Even Pope Benedict XVI appealed for "dialogue and reconciliation" in the crisis, which saw some 2,000 pro-Zelaya protesters take to the streets on Sunday to call for the return of their leader.

Zelaya has proposed that the next negotiations be held in Honduras, even though the interim government has refused to allow him to return and did not let his airplane land in Tegucigalpa last week.

Micheletti said the curfew had been necessary to restore calm. The lifting was announced in a statement broadcast on national television.

A total of 1,270 people have been detained across the country for violating the measure, according to police.

Zelaya supporters vowed to continue protest marches and road blockades demanding that their leader be reinstated.

"We are going to continue the protests," said Luis Sosa, a leader of the anti-government Popular Bloc. "Our commitment is to maintain them permanently until the democratic process is restored," Sosa told AFP.

In Washington, Zelaya met with the top US official for Latin America, Thomas Shannon, and OAS head Jose Miguel Insulza.

The foreign minister of Zelaya's deposed administration suggested that the ousted government was interested in continuing the process.

"It's a chance for each side to see what the other side is thinking," said Patricia Rodas, speaking to the Caracas-based Telesur regional news channel from Washington, where she was accompanying Zelaya.

However she added: "It's not a dialogue between two equal parties, but an exchange of information between a criminal on the one hand, and a totally legitimate government on the other hand."

In Honduras, journalists from Telesur accused Micheletti's government of harassment.

"It is a clear case of intimidation against Telesur," said Madelein Garcia, a journalist for the news channel who sought refuge in the Venezuelan embassy in Tegucigalpa.

A Honduran government official denied the accusations and told AFP that police detained and questioned several Telesur employees about their immigration status, but all had been released.

The reporters left the country following the arrests.

Micheletti's backers on Saturday organized a massive prayer for peace in the capital's baseball stadium, backed by the Roman Catholic Church, evangelical groups and the local Jewish community.

Zelaya, a wealthy rancher who moved sharply left after taking office in January 2006, rattled his country's ruling elite by trying to bypass Congress to hold a referendum on rewriting the constitution.

He has denied charges that the move was a bid to lift the one-term presidential limit so he could seek re-election this year.

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