Brazil will not accept "an ultimatum" from the interim government set up in Honduras after the coup of June 28, said Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in Porlamar, Venezuela on Sunday.
Lula made the remarks in response to the 10-day period given by interim President of Honduras Roberto Micheletti to define the status of deposed President Manuel Zelaya, who is at the Embassy of Brazil in Tegucigalpa.
Zelaya is "the legitimate president of Honduras" and that his status is "guest of the Embassy of Brazil" in Tegucigalpa, said Lula at a press conference held during the second Africa-South America Summit (ASA).
"Zelaya was forced from power in the most shameful way ... For me, the solution is simple: Zelaya should return to power and to call an election," he added.
Heads of state and government of the 2nd ASA summit have approved on Saturday a joint statement condemning the coup in Honduras.
The ASA summit also stressed that it was imperative to ensure that the de facto regime in Honduras fully respects the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, including the sanctity and safety of persons who are within diplomatic missions.
Since Zelaya fled on Sept. 21 to the Brazilian Embassy in Tegucigalpa, the Honduran military police has cut the embassy public services and blocked its supplies.
(Xinhua News Agency September 28, 2009)
