Cracks in local support for Zelaya expulsion

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) -- A leading candidate for Honduras' presidency distanced himself Wednesday from the overthrow of Manuel Zelaya and said sending him abroad was a mistake, while clashes broke out between police and supporters of the ousted president.

The comments by Elvin Santos add to cracks in the once-solid backing among the country's power structure for the June 28 removal of Zelaya, though officials so far have rejected international demands to let him return to the presidency.

"I will go to all corners of the country to explain that I was in no way a part of the events of June 28," Santos said on Channel 5's "Face to Face" show.

"The huge mistake was taking him (Zelaya) out of the country and leaving him defenseless," said Santos, whose Liberal Party includes both Zelaya and the man who replaced him, Roberto Micheletti.

Zelaya's terms ends Jan. 27, and he is constitutionally barred from seeking re-election. Opponents say he was trying to abolish term limits when he repeatedly ignored court orders to drop plans for a referendum on changing the constitution, an initiative that led to his ouster. Zelaya denies that was his intention.

Even the generals who hustled Zelaya out of the country are now taking pains to defend their action with a televised appearance that suggests they fear being made scapegoats if the ousted leader returns due to overwhelming international pressure.

Army chief Gen. Miguel Angel Garcia insisted on Channel 5 on Tuesday that the military stopped a plan to impose "socialism disguised as democracy," a reference to Zelaya's growing ties to Venezuela's socialist leader Hugo Chavez.

"What the armed forces did on June 28 was the defense and survival of the state, which was under threat," Rear Adm. Juan Pablo Rodriguez said.

The armed forces chief, Gen. Romeo Vasquez, even suggested the military would not stand in the way if Zelaya returns to power under a plan proposed by Costa Rican President Oscar Arias.

"The military will respect whatever solution is reached under the mediation of President Oscar Arias," he said.

Meanwhile, police used tear gas and a water cannon to disperse pro-Zelaya students protesting near the Autonomous University of Honduras in the capital. The students burned tires and sent sticks and stones raining down on the officers' riot shields. They also hurled some rocks through the windows of nearby restaurants.

Clashes have erupted more frequently in Tegucigalpa since the interim government warned last week it would not longer tolerate street blockades that have snarled traffic on a near-daily basis since the coup. At least two protesters have been killed.

"A dictatorship that uses the police for its repressive ends is what we have here in Honduras," said Andres Pavon, a leader of the protests.

University director Julieta Castellanos told reporters police beat her when she tried to persuade them to leave.

More Zelaya supporters started marching Wednesday to Tegucigalpa from various regions of the country, expecting to converge on the capital Aug. 10.

Adding to the pressure, some 15,000 nurses and other workers at 28 hospitals declared themselves on an indefinite strike, joining public school teachers who have been off the job for weeks.

Micheletti, the courts and the generals all insist no coup occurred because Zelaya was arrested on orders of the Supreme Court and replaced by an act of Congress. The Supreme Court has charged him with treason and abuse of power for violating court orders against holding the referendum.

Some say, however, that the soldiers went too far by sending him out of the country rather than merely arresting him.

"I didn't think it was right that they took the president to Costa Rica," said Adolfo Facusse, the head of Honduras' National Association of Industries, in an interview with The Associated Press.

"We have called for the courts to judge the military because the order was to arrest him," he said. "They should justify it."

The Organization of American States said it would send a delegation to pressure the Micheletti government to negotiate with international mediators seeking Zelaya's return to power. Representatives were expected to be named by Friday and travel next week to Honduras, OAS spokesman Alvaro Briones said.

Despite the suspension of millions of dollars of U.S. aid and the threat of more sanctions, interim leaders have made clear they expect to hold out until the Nov. 29 elections, where Santos is running in a tight race with Porfirio Lobo Sosa of the National Party.

Coup backers hope the election will calm international demands to restore Zelaya, whose constitutional term ends Jan. 27.

Zelaya is urging his supporters to boycott the vote if it occurs under the interim government, a campaign that could take away votes from Santos and benefit Lobo Sosa. Several Latin American countries are urging the international community not to recognize the results of the election unless Zelaya is restored before them.

In Mexico as part of a Latin American tour to underline regional support, Zelaya asked for a tougher response from the United States, which he said has taken only tepid action to solve the crisis so far.

"I have given President Obama space because I believe in his statements ... but the measures they have taken have been lukewarm and don't solve the problem," he told reporters.

Zelaya was returning to Nicaragua later Wednesday and said he would visit Brazil next week.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)