DEPOSED HONDURAN president Manuel Zelaya, vowing to return to power, took a symbolic step inside Honduras yesterday but quickly stepped back across the border again to avoid being arrested.
Accompanied by a pack of international reporters and television cameras, Mr Zelaya, in his trademark cowboy hat, took a step or two inside Honduran territory in the small town of Las Manos on the border with Nicaragua.
Pausing to give live telephone interviews, he approached the chain dividing the two central American nations, stepping briefly over and holding the chain over his head in triumph for a moment before returning to the Nicaraguan side.
US secretary of state Hillary Clinton said Mr Zelaya’s bid to return to his country was “reckless” and urged all sides to reach a negotiated, peaceful solution to the crisis.
“We have consistently urged all parties to avoid any provocative action that could lead to violence. President Zelaya’s effort to reach the border is reckless,” Ms Clinton said.
The de facto rulers of Honduras, who ousted Mr Zelaya in a June 28th coup, have said they would arrest him for a list of crimes if he stepped onto national territory.
Mr Zelaya called on supporters to mass at the border to greet him in his latest attempt. Scattered groups could be seen trying to reach the Las Manos border crossing. Many were being stopped by army and police forces deployed in the border area.
The de facto government enacted a 6pm curfew in the border region facing Nicaragua in hopes of discouraging crowds. A less restrictive curfew remained in place in the rest of Honduras.
Negotiations led by Costa Rican president Oscar Arias, a veteran mediator and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, broke down over the de facto government’s refusal to allow Mr Zelaya to finish his term, due to end in January.
The Honduran army took Mr Zelaya from his home on June 28th and deported him to Costa Rica after the Honduran supreme court ordered his arrest. The courts and Congress had declared Mr Zelaya’s efforts to reform the constitution illegal, and suspected he would use the reforms to extend his time in office. Mr Zelaya has denied such claims.
His attempt to return to Honduras on July 5th triggered clashes between security forces and thousands of Zelaya supporters. One demonstrator was confirmed killed. – (LA Times-Washington Post service/Reuters)