WASHINGTON - The Organisation of American States late on Saturday suspended Honduras from its ranks in reaction to last week's military coup that ousted elected President Manuel Zelaya.

Mr Zelaya, who was exiled by the coup leaders, has expressed his intention to return to his home country on Sunday.

Thirty-three out of 34 members of the pan-American body, gathered here for an extraordinary session of its General Assembly, voted in favor of the suspension.

The assembly acted on the basis of Article 21 of the OAS Charter that gives member-nations the right to suspend membership of a country in case of an 'unconstitutional interruption of democratic order' and when 'efforts to address the situation through diplomatic means have failed.' The article was used by the organisation for the first time since 1962, when Cuba was suspended from the OAS following its joining the Soviet bloc.

The resolution adopted by the General Assembly urges OAS member-nations as well as international organizations 'to review their relations with Honduras.' At the same time, it asks Honduran coup leaders to respect human rights.

The measure was recommended earlier on Saturday by OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza, who said that 'no other alternative existed' but to exclude Honduras over its refusal to reinstate Mr Zelaya.

Throwing his backing behind the beleaguered Honduran leader, Mr Insulza said 'the de facto authorities in Tegucigalpa are not disposed to restore Mr Zelaya.' Mr Insulza spoke after returning from a brief trip to Honduras on Friday during which he sought - in vain - to persuade the interim government to bring Mr Zelaya back to power, and warned of increasing tension and polarization.

Mr Zelaya, who was also in Washington, said he was 'optimistic' on the eve of his planned return to Honduras.

'I am very optimistic because everyone has repudiated and rejected these acts' Mr Zelaya said, referring to the military-backed coup.

But he insisted his country lived 'under a regime of terror.' Thousands of Mr Zelaya's supporters and opponents have demonstrated daily since the president was bundled away to Costa Rica last Sunday, and brief clashes have broken out between the army and protesters. -- AFP

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