Madrid, July 21: Honduras’s ousted president has called on the international community including the United Nations and the United States to support him in returning to power in his country after crisis talks broke down.
“The international community must set a precedent so that there is no repeat of this and so that coup d’etats become a thing of the past and those who try it punished,” Manuel Zelaya was quoted as saying in an interview with Spanish daily El Mundo.
El Mundo said it interviewed Zelaya at the Honduras embassy in Managua. The president left Honduras after a military coup which has installed Robert Micheletti as president.
Governments around the world have called for Zelaya’s return to power and are shunning the new de facto government, but Micheletti said on Monday he would never allow Zelaya’s reinstatement.
Asked whether the situation would end if the United States were to intervene diplomatically, Zelaya said: “Immediately. This will be over in the blink of an eye once the United States takes clear steps against those behind the coup.”
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has already warned Micheletti that he could face cuts in economic aid unless he strikes a deal with his enemy.
—Agencies