The interim government of Honduras has reinstated a nighttime curfew in
Tegucigalpa, after thousands of protesters marched on the capital city,
burned a bus and destroyed a business.
The protesters massed
Tuesday as the Organization of American States reaffirmed plans to send
a group of foreign ministers to work on restoring the elected
government. The demonstrators demand the return of ousted President
Manuel Zelaya, who was forced out of the country in June.
The
interim Honduran government says it will allow OAS crisis negotiators
to visit, as long as OAS chief Jose Miguel Insulza attends only as an
observer.
President Roberto Micheletti's government had originally said it would bar Insulza.
Insulza
had been scheduled to arrive in Honduras Tuesday with several OAS
foreign ministers to press for Mr. Zelaya's reinstatement. That trip
is now expected to take place next week.
The
Micheletti government has so far refused any proposal that would allow
Mr. Zelaya's return, accusing him of trying to unlawfully extend his
term in office. Costa Rica's President, Nobel Peace Prize winner Oscar
Arias had been mediating talks between the two sides, but he is now
quarantined in his home, suffering from H1N1 Swine Flu.
U.S.
President Barack Obama has called Mr. Zelaya's ouster a "coup" and says
constitutional and democratic order must be restored "for the sake of
the Honduran people." He says the United States, Canada and Mexico are
united on the issue.
South American leaders attending a summit
in Ecuador also said they would not recognize the authority of
Honduras' interim government.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.
