Ousted Honduran President Diverted to El Salvador
By VOA News
05 July 2009
A plane carrying ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya to Honduras has been diverted to El Salvador, after an unsuccessful attempt to land at the international airport in Tegucigalpa.
President Zelaya told Telesur television late Sunday that soldiers were blocking the runway at the airport in the Honduran capital. The ousted president says he will try again to return to Honduras as soon as possible.
Shortly before Mr. Zelaya attempted to land violent protests at the airport left at least one person dead and several others wounded. A cameraman for the Al-Jazeera news network who saw the body described it as a young boy.
The violence came during a confrontation between security forces and thousands of Mr. Zelaya's supporters, who had marched to the airport.
Mr. Zelaya's plane was attempting to land despite a warning from the interim government that the ousted president would be arrested if he touched down on Honduran soil.
Speaking from his plane before giving up on a landing in Honduras, Mr. Zelaya called on the Honduran military to cooperate with his efforts to return to power.
Earlier, members of the Honduran interim government told the Organization of American States they are ready to start a dialogue. The OAS voted unanimously Saturday to suspend Honduras for failing to reinstate Mr. Zelaya.
Soldiers forcibly expelled the president from Honduras one week ago. He was arrested the same day he planned to hold a referendum on a constitutional change that would have allowed him to seek another term. The Supreme Court had ruled the referendum was illegal.
Authorities in the interim government accuse him of treason and abuse of power.
This is the first time the OAS has suspended a member since Cuba was excluded from the group in 1962.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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