Honduras riot police officers shoot tear gas inside of Pedagogic University during protest of ousted President Manuel Zelaya's supporters, Tegucigalpa, 11 Aug 2009The interim government of Honduras has reinstated a nighttime curfew inTegucigalpa, after thousands of protesters marched on the capital city,burned a bus and destroyed a business.
The protesters massedTuesday as the Organization of American States reaffirmed plans to senda group of foreign ministers to work on restoring the electedgovernment. The demonstrators demand the return of ousted PresidentManuel Zelaya, who was forced out of the country in June.
Theinterim Honduran government says it will allow OAS crisis negotiatorsto visit, as long as OAS chief Jose Miguel Insulza attends only as anobserver.
President Roberto Micheletti's government had originally said it would bar Insulza.
Insulzahad been scheduled to arrive in Honduras Tuesday with several OASforeign ministers to press for Mr. Zelaya's reinstatement. That tripis now expected to take place next week.
TheMicheletti government has so far refused any proposal that would allowMr. Zelaya's return, accusing him of trying to unlawfully extend histerm in office. Costa Rica's President, Nobel Peace Prize winner OscarArias had been mediating talks between the two sides, but he is nowquarantined in his home, suffering from H1N1 Swine Flu.
U.S.President Barack Obama has called Mr. Zelaya's ouster a "coup" and saysconstitutional and democratic order must be restored "for the sake ofthe Honduran people." He says the United States, Canada and Mexico areunited on the issue.
South American leaders attending a summitin Ecuador also said they would not recognize the authority ofHonduras' interim government.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.
