The ousted president of Honduras has returned to Nicaragua”s border with his country, and pledged to keep up pressure on the interim leaders.
Jose Manuel Zelaya had made a symbolic crossing over the border in a mountain pass between the two Central American countries on Friday.
On Saturday he came close to the border, and addressed a crowd of supporters and journalists with a megaphone. He demanded that he be allowed to see his family, which has remained in Honduras since the June 28 coup, and pledged to set up camp on the border.
By Saturday evening, hundreds of supporters had crossed from Honduras into Nicaragua to see the 56-year-old deposed leader, defying a curfew along the Honduran side of the border.
He pledged to continue the “resistance” against the interim government, and to ensure that those who plotted the coup, which has been widely condemned internationally, are expelled from the country.
The interim government led by Roberto Micheletti has ruled out Zelaya”s return to the presidency, saying he will be let into the country only on the condition that he does not seek to become leader.
The coup organizers accused Zelaya of attempting to push through constitutional changes to allow him to stay in power indefinitely.
Talks between the Honduran interim government and representatives of Zelaya again broke down in Costa Rica last week.
Costa Rican President Oscar Arias, who is leading mediation efforts, offered a 12-point plan demanding Zelaya”s reinstatement and offering full amnesty for those who ousted the president.
