US labor official, Chile’s Lagos on Honduras panel

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — The U.S. secretary of labor and a former Chilean president were named Sunday to a commission tasked with monitoring the creation of a power-sharing government in Honduras, under a U.S.-brokered agreement to end the nation’s 4-month-old political crisis.

Jose Miguel Insulza, the secretary-general of the Organization of American States, said Labor Secretary Hilda Solis and ex-President Ricardo Lagos will arrive in the Central American country Tuesday, accompanied by high-level OAS officials.

Representatives from Honduras’ two major political parties will round out the four-member commission, which is also tasked with ensuring that all sides recognize November presidential elections and that the military is put under the command of electoral officials to safeguard the vote’s legitimacy.

As part of the accord struck Friday, the commission will monitor the creation of a truth commission assigned to investigate the coup that ousted President Manuel Zelaya, who was rousted from his bed by soldiers and flown to Costa Rica on June 28.

Congressional President Jose Alfredo Saavedra is expected to receive the accord Tuesday. He will then have to call lawmakers back into session to debate the measure.

If lawmakers OK the deal, it would win international recognition for the Nov. 29 vote after many nations warned they would not accept the outcome unless the coup was reversed.

Diplomats have urged lawmakers not to delay, and Zelaya’s supporters said they would rally outside Congress on Monday to pressure lawmakers.

“We will be there until we achieve our goal” of seeing Zelaya restored to power, said Juan Barahona, who has been leading protests against the coup.

Zelaya has been inside the Brazilian Embassy in Tegucigalpa since Sept. 21, when he made a surprise return to the Honduran capital.

Associated Press Writer Freddy Cuevas contributed to this report.