Tegucigalpa: Honduras' interim leader accused Venezuela's Hugo Chavez of instigating his nation's crisis and lawmakers tightened a curfew aimed at stemming unrest, as coup leaders showed few signs of bending to international pressure to restore the exiled president.
Roberto Micheletti, who was named by Congress to replace President Manuel Zelaya after his ouster, has fought a largely losing battle to win international support for his government.
The Organisation of American States has given him until tomorrow to step aside before Honduras is suspended from the group.
The Obama administration halted joint military operations, and France, Spain, Italy, Chile and Colombia all recalled their ambassadors on Wednesday.
The fiercest criticism has come from Chavez, the socialist president of Venezuela who has called for Hondurans to rise up against the "guerrilla government" and vowed to do everything possible to restore his leftist ally, Zelaya.
Honduras' interim leader struck back at this foreign critics, accusing Chavez of exacerbating Honduras' problems.
"Chavez has had a clear and definite intervention in the situation that Honduras is currently living through," Micheletti told reporters.
On Sunday, the day of the coup, Micheletti suggested Zelaya's support for Chavez, and vice versa, was at the centre of the problem.
Micheletti said then that Zelaya would be welcome to return to Honduras as a private citizen on one condition: "Without the support of Mr. Hugo Chavez, we would be happy to take him back with open arms."
Honduras' opposition has accused Zelaya of moving sharply to the left since taking office, allying himself with Venezuela and Cuba, accepting oil on preferential terms from Chavez and bringing Honduras into the regional leftist ALBA trade alliance.
Chavez and Zelaya, in turn, have accused right-wing forces in Honduras of toppling him, and Chavez has denounced the allegations that he is stoking the flames in Honduras.
Thousands of Hondurans on both sides of the fight mobilised on Wednesday, with a large pro-Zelaya march in the capital and pro-Micheletti demonstrations held in other cities. No violence was reported.
Roberto Micheletti, who was named by Congress to replace President Manuel Zelaya after his ouster, has fought a largely losing battle to win international support for his government.
The Organisation of American States has given him until tomorrow to step aside before Honduras is suspended from the group.
The Obama administration halted joint military operations, and France, Spain, Italy, Chile and Colombia all recalled their ambassadors on Wednesday.
The fiercest criticism has come from Chavez, the socialist president of Venezuela who has called for Hondurans to rise up against the "guerrilla government" and vowed to do everything possible to restore his leftist ally, Zelaya.
Honduras' interim leader struck back at this foreign critics, accusing Chavez of exacerbating Honduras' problems.
"Chavez has had a clear and definite intervention in the situation that Honduras is currently living through," Micheletti told reporters.
On Sunday, the day of the coup, Micheletti suggested Zelaya's support for Chavez, and vice versa, was at the centre of the problem.
Micheletti said then that Zelaya would be welcome to return to Honduras as a private citizen on one condition: "Without the support of Mr. Hugo Chavez, we would be happy to take him back with open arms."
Honduras' opposition has accused Zelaya of moving sharply to the left since taking office, allying himself with Venezuela and Cuba, accepting oil on preferential terms from Chavez and bringing Honduras into the regional leftist ALBA trade alliance.
Chavez and Zelaya, in turn, have accused right-wing forces in Honduras of toppling him, and Chavez has denounced the allegations that he is stoking the flames in Honduras.
Thousands of Hondurans on both sides of the fight mobilised on Wednesday, with a large pro-Zelaya march in the capital and pro-Micheletti demonstrations held in other cities. No violence was reported.
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