International community backs ousted Honduras president

Honduras' ousted president Manuel Zelaya has won overwhelming international support as he planned a high-profile return to his chaotic country.

The politicians who sent soldiers to fly him into exile in his pyjamas said he will be arrested for treason if he returns.

The interim leader named by Congress, Roberto Micheletti, warned only an armed invasion could restore Zelaya.

"He has already committed crimes against the constitution and the law. He can no longer return to the presidency of the republic unless a president from another Latin American country comes and imposes him using guns," Mr Micheletti said from the heavily fortified presidential palace.

The showdown was building to a climax as the presidents of Argentina and Ecuador signed on to accompany Mr Zelaya and the heads of the Organisation of American States (OAS) and the UN General Assembly on a flight to Honduras tomorrow.

The OAS said Honduran coup leaders had three days to restore Mr Zelaya to power.

OAS secretary-general Jose Miguel Insulza said Honduras "risks being suspended" from the group if the leaders of the military coup do not comply.

Mr Insulza delivered what he called an ultimatum as OAS talks on the crisis continued.

The three-day deadline appears intended to allow time for Mr Zelaya, who was ousted in a coup Sunday, to go home accompanied by the presidents of Argentina and Ecuador.

Attorney General Luis Alberto Rubi said Mr 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," Mr 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 UN General Assembly voted by acclamation to demand Mr Zelaya's immediate restoration.

Albert Rambin, the OAS' assistant secretary-general, said the new president intended to send a Honduran delegation to the OAS, but it would not be accepted.

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 on Monday against Mr Zelaya's supporters, injuring and arresting dozens.

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

Mr Zelaya backed down from the referendum yesterday, 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.

However, Mr Micheletti vowed he would not resign no matter how intense the international pressure became. He said it was too late for Mr Zelaya to avoid arrest if he returns to Honduras.

"No. I was appointed by Congress, which represents the Honduran people. Nobody can make me resign unless I break the laws of the country," he said.