MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Ousted president Zelaya completes symbolic crossing into Honduras

Hillary Clinton described the Zelaya crossing as “reckless”

The ousted president of Honduras briefly crossed on Friday the country's border with Nicaragua, in a symbolic move that United States described as “reckless”.

Manuel Zelaya has been in exile for nearly a month after he was forced out from his position by the military following instructions from the country’s Supreme Court, and had previously tried to return by plane.

The interim government has said it will arrest him if he sets foot in Honduras.

Earlier, soldiers fired tear gas at hundreds of Mr Zelaya's supporters who were waiting for him near the border.

Talks in Costa Rica aimed at resolving the political crisis collapsed two weeks ago with no agreement reached.

The ousted president move coincided with a strong statement from the Mercosur presidential summit, which convened in Paraguay six South American leaders, stating that the only constitutional and legitimate government in Honduras is that of “elected president Manuel Zelaya” and that “they will not accept any unilateral acts from the illegitimate Honduran authorities”.

Zelaya, surrounded by supporters and journalists and talking into a mobile phone, lifted the chain marking the border between Nicaragua and Honduras in the frontier town of Los Manos and walked underneath it.

Mr Zelaya wearing his customary cowboy style hat walked up to a sign reading “Welcome to Honduras” but did not go any further into the country. Shortly later and after talking with a Honduran Army colonel in charge of the border control, the ousted president crossed back into Nicaragua.

Allegedly he was to be met by his family who was impeded to reach the border because of the tight security ring.

US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton described Mr Zelaya's return as “reckless” and not contributing to “the broader effort to restore democratic and constitutional order in the Honduras crisis”.

“We have consistently urged all parties to avoid any provocative action that could lead to violence,” said Mrs Clinton.

Earlier televised footage had shown Mr Zelaya driving in a convoy including Nicaraguan police cars towards the Nicaraguan border with Honduras.

The interim government, led by Mr Zelaya's former ally, Roberto Micheletti, has imposed an 18-hour curfew along the Nicaraguan border.

People living close to the border have been ordered to stay at home between midday local time and 0600 to “keep the peace”.

“We can't be responsible for the security of people who, by inciting generalised violence in the country, may be subject to attacks even from their own supporters who may have the sole aim of turning them into martyrs,” the military said in a statement. A night time curfew already extends to the whole of Honduras.

Mr Zelaya was exiled on 28 June after a crisis erupted with the Supreme Court and Congress over his attempts to hold a vote on changing the constitution.

He insists he remains the democratically-elected leader of Honduras and had previously attempted to return home on 5 July. On that occasion, his plane was prevented from landing when the Honduran military blocked the runway.

The ousted leader's attempt to return follows the collapse of talks in Costa Rica, mediated by the country's President, Oscar Arias and sponsored by Washington.

Mr Arias had drawn up a detailed plan to facilitate Mr Zelaya's return to lead a national reconciliation government prior to early elections in October.

The proposal also included a general amnesty for crimes committed during this crisis and the setting up of a truth commission to investigate events in the run-up to Mr Zelaya's removal.

Delegates of the interim government reiterated they would not reinstate Mr Zelaya as president but said they would present the Arias plan to Congress.

President Zelaya was elected with the support of the Liberal party but later became a close ally of Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez, --and his oil soft payment conditions--, and since then dramatically changed his speech condemning the “oligarchs that exploit the Honduran people”.

Following on the experiences of Venezuela, Bolivia and Ecuador, he tried to reform the constitution to enable his re-election, which was rejected by the Supreme Court and Congress.

Zelaya nevertheless insisted in holding a referendum on the issue, but the Army refused logistics support and he sacked the three services commanders. On the eve of the “non binding” referendum Zelaya in pyjamas was flown by the military to neighbouring Costa Rica.

In contact with Argentine president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner at the Mercosur summit in Paraguay, Zelaya promised he would “not promote any action leading to outbursts of violence or bloodshed among Hondurans”