By David Alexander
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday Honduran President-elect Porfirio Lobo was working to achieve national reconciliation as required by an accord to restore democracy to his country after a coup last June.
Clinton, speaking to reporters at the State Department, said the November 29 election in Honduras "marked an important milestone" towards restoring democracy but was not the final step under the agreement reached by both sides.
"President-elect Lobo has launched a national dialogue and he has called for the formation of a national unity government and a truth commission, as set forth in the Tegucigalpa-San Jose Accord," Clinton said.
"We stand with the Honduran people and we will continue to work closely with others in the region who seek to determine the democratic way forward for Honduras," she said.
Ousted President Manuel Zelaya has refused calls to join a unity government. He has rejected the accord and called democracy in Honduras "dead" since Congress voted against restoring him to power earlier this month.
The U.S.-backed agreement between Zelaya and de facto leaders who took over after the coup left it up to Honduras' Congress to decide whether Zelaya could finish the remaining weeks of his term before his presidency ends January 27 and Lobo takes office.
State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said "important work" needed to be done to achieve national reconciliation as Honduras moves towards inaugurating a new president following the election.
"There are still some steps to be done under the Tegucigalpa-San Jose accord, particularly in the area of national reconciliation," he told a briefing. "The secretary made reference to that, the need to name a national unity government."
The rejection of Zelaya's return was a blow for the United States, which has struggled to get many Latin American countries to recognise the Tegucigalpa-San Jose Accord.
Brazil and Argentina say it is impossible to recognise an election carried out by the de facto government, but Washington notes the vote had been long-scheduled, with planning under way well before the coup.
Kelly said Clinton spoke on Tuesday with President Ricardo Arias of Costa Rica, an important mediator in efforts to resolve the crisis. He said Arias reported that Lobo wanted a unity government, a truth commission and a political amnesty in place before he takes office.
Asked if the United States would view the crisis as ended if Honduras completed the requirements of the Tegucigalpa accord, Kelly said, "I normally don't answer questions that begin with 'if,' but I think in this case the answer is 'yes.'"
(Editing by Peter Cooney)
