July 11 (Bloomberg) -- Deposed Honduran President Manuel Zelaya arrived in Washington today to meet with officials from the Organization of American States after negotiations in Costa Rica ended inconclusively, casting doubt on his return to power.

Zelaya will hold a private meeting with OAS Secretary- General Jose Miguel Insulza, OAS spokeswoman Patricia Esquenazi said. Zelaya may also hold talks with U.S. officials, a State Department official said on condition of anonymity yesterday.

Zelaya is trying to maintain support for his return to power after negotiations to resolve a two-week political conflict sparked when Zelaya was forced from office stalled yesterday. Delegations from the opposing sides left Costa Rica without an agreement or date to resume negotiations.

Costa Rican President Oscar Arias, who mediated the talks, said negotiations would resume “soon” without giving any time period, as the government of acting Honduran President Roberto Micheletti entrenches itself in power.

“Both sides agreed to continue talks as soon as possible and to not rest until we reach an agreement to resolve this crisis,” Arias said yesterday in heavy rain in San Jose. “We’ll announce the date in the coming days.”

Political Stalemate

The stalemate began on June 28 when Zelaya was awoken by troops and put on a plane to Costa Rica after ignoring court orders to reinstate the head of the military. The army chief had refused to help organize a poll, aimed at changing the constitution, which the Supreme Court had ruled was illegal.

Micheletti was sworn in as acting president shortly after and now has institutional backing from both the Honduran Congress and Supreme Court. Zelaya received international backing condemning his removal, and Honduras was suspended from the OAS in a unanimous vote.

Zelaya denied that he sought a constitutional reform that would allow him to seek a new term as president, Costa Rican newspaper La Nacion reported today, citing an interview with Zelaya that took place on July 9.

“That is false,” he told the newspaper. “In Honduras there isn’t re-election, and there isn’t any possibility of re- electing me.”

Zelaya said he had sought a vote on constitutional reform so the public could weigh in on development, taxes, government spending and international treaties.

Regional Travels

Since being deposed, Zelaya has traveled to countries including the U.S., El Salvador, Nicaragua, Panama and the Dominican Republic to drum up support for his return.

Micheletti and Zelaya met separately in private with Arias in Costa Rica on July 9 on condition they wouldn’t have to meet each other face-to-face. Both agreed to designate commissions to seek a solution in their absence.

Before and during the delegations’ five-hour meeting yesterday at Arias’s residence in the capital, San Jose, regional voices expressed skepticism a deal would be reached.

Insulza of the OAS said both sides were intransigent and that he didn’t expect an agreement.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said the talks were “dead,” and that the U.S. should never have endorsed negotiations with Micheletti, whom he called a “usurper.”

Cuba’s former President Fidel Castro wrote that “a wave of coup d’etats threaten to sweep over many Latin American governments” if Zelaya isn’t restored to power. His comments were posted on the Web site of the Juventud Rebelde newspaper.

U.S. Lawmakers

Arias declined to comment on details of how the talks in Costa Rica were advancing and delegation members showed few signs that either side had made concessions.

U.S. Republicans in Congress also criticized their nation’s role in the crisis.

Representative Connie Mack, a Florida Republican, introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives condemning Zelaya’s “unconstitutional moves that led Honduras on a path toward less freedom.” At a House hearing on the crisis yesterday, Mack criticized the Obama administration for calling Zelaya’s ouster a coup and urging his reinstatement.

“The administration now stands with the likes of Chavez, Morales, and Ortega -- and not with the Honduran people,” Mack said, referring to Bolivian President Evo Morales and Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, both aligned with Chavez in support of Zelaya.

Milton Jimenez, a former Honduran foreign minister and member of Zelaya’s delegation in Costa Rica, said that everything was negotiable in the Arias-mediated talks except the return of Zelaya to power.

Election Timing

Carlos Lopez Contreras, a member of Micheletti’s delegation, said the parties hadn’t discussed holding early elections to resolve the conflict.

Zelaya, who has five months left in his term, doesn’t have time to waste, said Silvia Ayala, a member of his delegation.

An earlier attempt by Zelaya to return aboard a private plane on loan from Venezuela’s Chavez was aborted after the Honduran military positioned vehicles on the runway on July 5.

“It’s very unlikely that weeks go by without continuing talks because the president only has five months left in his constitutional mandate,” Ayala told reporters yesterday. “Talks can’t go on forever.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Daniel Cancel in San Jose, Costa Rica at dcancel@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: July 11, 2009 17:45 EDT