Ousted Honduran Leader Plans Return

Honduras' ousted president, bolstered by international support, said he will return home to regain control and urged soldiers to stop cracking down on thousands of supporters who have protested his overthrow. Flanked by Latin American leaders who have vowed to help him regain power, Manuel Zelaya said yesterday he would accept an offer by the OAS secretary-general to accompany him back to Honduras.

Sunday's military coup provoked nearly universal condemnation from governments of the Western Hemisphere and sparked clashes in the Honduran capital that have left dozens of people injured. Zelaya, a wealthy rancher who has forged close ties with Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, said he wanted to return to Tegucigalpa on Thursday after attending a meeting of the UN General Assembly today. "I want the support of whoever thinks I have the right to finish my presidency," he said. (More Honduras stories.)