TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — Thousands of Hondurans demonstrated Wednesday for the return of ousted President Manuel Zelaya, who vowed to fly home this weekend despite a warrant for his arrest.
Thousands of others rallied in favor of the military-backed government.
Newly appointed President Roberto Micheletti said it would take a foreign invasion to put Zelaya back in power, and he said he was sending a delegation to Washington in an attempt to reverse the country’s increasing international isolation, though his own foreign minister later denied that.
France, Spain, Italy, Chile and Colombia joined other nations Wednesday in recalling their ambassadors. The Pentagon suspended joint U.S.-Honduran military operations, and the World Bank said it was freezing loans. Honduras’ three neighbors have suspended cross-border trade.
Soldiers stormed Zelaya’s residence and flew him into exile Sunday after he insisted on trying to hold a referendum asking Hondurans if they want to change the constitution. The Supreme Court, Congress and the military all deemed his planned ballot illegal. Zelaya said Tuesday that he no longer will push for constitutional changes.
Seeking to stem internal unrest, Congress approved a bill Wednesday that toughens a curfew in place since the coup.
Pro-Micheletti demonstrations received heavy coverage on Honduran TV stations, which all but ignored the pro-Zelaya protests. Leftist broadcasters say they have been forced off the air or had signals interrupted by soldiers under orders of the new government.
Micheletti said he would look into the allegations.
The OAS gave Micheletti until Saturday to step aside before Honduras is suspended from the group, an ultimatum Secretary-General Jose Miguel Insulza said was meant “to show clearly that military coups will not be accepted.”
Zelaya delayed plans to return today to let that deadline play out.
The new government was on a diplomatic offensive Wednesday, ordering home pro-Zelaya envoys to the U.S., the United Nations and the OAS. U.N. Ambassador Jorge Arturo Reyna said he took orders only from Zelaya’s government, but Honduras’ ambassador to the U.S. said he was recognizing Micheletti’s government.
