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Honduras - coup aftermath

Deposed President delays plan to return

Article published on the 2009-07-01 Latest update 2009-07-01 13:48 TU

Ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya addresses the UN General Assembly in New York on 30 June, 2009(Photo: Reuters/Mike Segar)

Ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya addresses the UN General Assembly in New York on 30 June, 2009
(Photo: Reuters/Mike Segar)

Ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya has decided to delay his planned return to the country on Thursday. Zelaya said he would wait 72 hours to see how the situation would unfold after the Organization of American States (OAS) gave the Latin American state the same length of time to return him to power.

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The OAS demanded that the interim government in Honduras restore the deposed leader or face suspension from the body.

"In light of the fact that the OAS has requested 72 hours to do their job, we will wait 72 hours in order to continue with this process," Zelaya said in Washington on Wednesday.

Zelaya was to be accompanied by the head of the Organization of American States Jose Miguel Insulza and Argentine President Cristina Kirchner. He had been warned he would be arrested if he returned to the country. The ousted leader was expelled from Honduras by the army on Sunday.

Attorney-General Luis Alberto Rubi said on Tuesday that Zelaya would be arrested “immediately” if he tries to re-enter Honduras. Honduran legal officials have accused him of 18 crimes, including treason and “abuse of authority”.

However, there has been widespread condemnation of the military’s actions outside of Honduras. Shortly before Zelaya addressed the United Nations in New York on Tuesday, it passed a resolution condemning Zelaya’s expulsion and calling for his “immediate and unconditional” reinstatement.

During his address to the UN, Zelaya said he would not seek a second term in office if he was reinstated. The 57-year-old had hoped to hold a referendum in November with the aim of changing the constitution to allow him to serve for another term. This was one of a number of proposed changes to the constitution that is thought to have led to the coup.

"If offered the possibility to remain in power (for a second term), I would not do it," he said in New York on Tuesday. "I am going to fulfil my term up until 27 January."