Honduras' post-coup government on Sunday suspended the curfew, part of a martial law that has been in place since July 28, when soldiers seized President Manuel Zelaya and forced him to board an aircraft to Costa Rica.

A statement read by government officials on domestic broadcast media said that the measure had "achieved its goals" and had "returned calm to the population."

The measure had imposed a curfew from 9:00 p.m. local time to 6: 00 a.m. the following day, although this was changed to 6:30 p.m. during the peak of anti-government protests. In the last few days soldiers had only enforced curfew from 11:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. local time.

During the curfew period, the nation's legislature, the National Congress, had suspended guarantees included in the nation's Constitution that cover freedom of association and of movement, and that limit arrest without charge to 24 hours.

Costa Rica's President Oscar Arias has been mediating between Roberto Micheletti, who took over the presidential power thanks to military intervention, and Zelaya. Both men were in Costa Rica's capital San Jose on Thursday to speak with Arias, but not with each other.

On Thursday, they each appointed a team of four officials to continue talks, which are set to continue on Monday. Neither side has made any public statements that bring their positions any close together.

(Xinhua News Agency July 13, 2009)