U.N. to Honduras: Reinstate president

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) — Honduras’ ousted president won overwhelming international support Tuesday as he planned a high-profile return to his chaotic country. The politicians who sent soldiers to fly him into exile in his pajamas said he will be arrested for treason if he tries.

The showdown was building to a climax as the presidents of Argentina and Ecuador signed on to accompany President Manuel Zelaya and other figures on a flight to Honduras on Thursday. Attorney General Luis Alberto Rubi said Zelaya would be seized “as soon as he sets foot on Honduran soil” and face 20 years in prison on charges that also include abuse of authority.

“I’m going back to calm people down. I’m going to try to open a dialogue and put things in order,” Zelaya said at the United Nations. “When I’m back, people are going to say ... ‘commander, we’re at your service’ and the army will have to correct itself. There’s no other possibility.”

The U.N. General Assembly voted by acclamation to demand Zelaya’s immediate restoration, and the Organization of American States was meeting to consider suspending Honduras for straying from democracy.

With no international support but a significant following at home, the new Honduran leadership called thousands of flag-waving people into a downtown plaza. Soldiers fenced off the area around the presidential palace, where security forces used tear gas and water cannons Monday against Zelaya supporters, injuring and arresting dozens.

The interim president named by Congress, Roberto Micheletti, said Zelaya could be arrested for violating the constitution if he returns. He also said he would not resign no matter how intense the international pressure on Honduras becomes.

“No. I was appointed by Congress, which represents the Honduran people. Nobody can make me resign unless I break the laws of the country,” Micheletti said in an interview with The Associated Press at the presidential palace.

Zelaya — whose elected term ends in 2010 — had defied the Supreme Court and called a referendum on constitutional change that opponents worried would lead to Zelaya prolonging his presidency.

Zelaya backed down from the referendum Tuesday, saying at the United Nations that he would no longer push for the constitutional changes he had wanted.

“I’m not going to hold a constitutional assembly,” he said. “And if I’m offered the chance to stay in power, I won’t. I’m going to serve my four years.”

He said he would then go back to being a farmer — a humble description considering the wealth he has accumulated in ranching and agribusiness.

“I come from the countryside and I’m going to go back to the countryside,” he said.

But Micheletti told AP that Zelaya had already violated Honduran law and it was too late for him to avoid arrest if he returns to Honduras.