TEGUCIGALPA - TALKS between representatives of ousted Honduras President Manuel Zelaya and the country's de facto government have produced no result, while thousands of Zelaya supporters rallied in the streets.
MR ZELAYA has the support of most Latin American states and US President Barack Obama's administration.
The United States has suspended military ties with Tegucigalpa and is warning it could sever US$200 million (S$293 million) in aid. The World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank have frozen credit lines for the impoverished country.
Two days of negotiations mediated by Costa Rican President Oscar Arias between aides of Mr Zelaya and interim Honduran leader Roberto Micheletti ended late Friday with no breakthrough, but Mr Arias insisted that both sides agreed to talk again soon.
The Honduran interim presidency confirmed the talks will continue. 'We have ordered representatives of President Micheletti to remain in San Jose to take an active part in all the discussions,' chief of staff Rafael Pineda said.
Around 4,000 people calling for the return of Mr Zelaya blocked the road leading north from the Honduras' political capital Tegucigalpa to the economic capital San Pedro Sula for around two hours.
Protests also took place in San Pedro Sula, Choluteca and Puerto Cortes, the latest in a wave of demonstrations since Zelaya was abducted and hauled out of Honduras by the army on June 28.
Mr Zelaya and Mr Micheletti kicked off the talks in the Costa Rican capital on Thursday - but in a sign of their mutual hostility, they never met face-to-face, preferring to speak to Mr Arias separately before flying out of the country the same day.
Speaking to reporters in the Dominican Republic, Mr Zelaya hailed the talks as a small first step toward 'the restoration of the elected president.' But Mr Micheletti, who flew back to Tegucigalpa late Thursday, insisted he remained the 'constitutional president.'
Organization of American States chief Jose Miguel Insulza told Chilean radio 'there is still intransigence on both sides.' The rival leaders had told him 'that the positions have become much more rigid,' he added.
Mr Zelaya, who had to abort an attempt last Sunday to land in Tegucigalpa when soldiers and army vehicles blocked the runway, vowed to return to Honduras and sweep aside the interim government.
'Even though my return didn't happen, everything this regime is doing is null and void, and constitutes a crime,' he said. -- AFP
