Dutch politician and president of Liberal International (LI), Hans Van Baalen, expressed his hope this weekend in Tegucigalpa that the upcoming national elections in Honduras on November 29 will help the country return to normalcy and stated that his organization will send observers to monitor the electoral process. Mr. van Baalen, who is also a member of the European Parliament, said that he believed the international community still does not know the truth of what occurred in Honduras on June 28, as there exist different versions of what happened.

"I think that the Organization of American States did not at all help by immediately taking Mel Zelaya's side," noted Mr. van Baalen. He said that the OAS should have advised Mr. Zelaya against trying to change the Constitution via a Constituent Assembly. He reiterated that he is convinced that the European Union (EU) and international organizations will accept the new president-elect if the elections are conducted in a fair and free manner.

Mr. van Baalen met over the weekend with both interim president Roberto Micheletti and deposed president Manuel Zelaya. He also met with Liberty Party presidential candidate Elvin Santos. His visit to Honduras was sponsored by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation of Germany. Accompanying Mr. van Baalen were Josep Soler of Spain and Emil Kirjas of Macedonia, who serve as Treasurer and Secretary General of LI respectively.