Costa Rican President Oscar Arias said Wednesday that he expects an agreement to be reached between ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya and post-coup leader Roberto Micheletti, during their meeting in San Jose, capital of Costa Rica.

Both parties of the two-day gathering beginning Thursday accepted Arias, a Nobel peace prize winner in 1987, to mediate the political crisis in Honduras after the June 28 coup.

Arias said 48 hours could be short time to reach an agreement, but it could be enough if each side has disposition to accept the other's opinions.

"The crisis can be solved in two days, but it also could be that not even in two months can we find solutions," said Arias.

Though Arias recognizes Zelaya as the elected president of Honduras, he said Zelaya and Micheletti will be treated in the same way and none of them will have disadvantage in the negotiation.

Meanwhile, Zelaya has said that he will not accept anything but his restitution as president, while Micheletti has said that he will not accept the return of Zelaya to power.

"I know that the positions from both sides are very distant, but that is why we are going to sit down in a table, to dialogue," Arias said.

(Xinhua News Agency July 9, 2009)