Argentina expels Honduran envoy over coup support

AFP - Argentina has expelled the Honduran ambassador over her support for a coup that ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya, the foreign ministry announced Thursday.

"At the request of the constitutional President of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya  the Argentine foreign ministry ordered the cessation of functions of the Honduran Ambassador to Buenos Aires, Carmen Eleonora Ortez Williams", it said in a statement.

Ortez voiced support for interim leader Roberto Micheletti, who is not recognized by the international community, the Argentine statement added.

Argentina said it would communicate with Honduras through the Honduran embassy in Washington.

Argentina's President Cristina Kirchner has been among the staunchest defenders of Zelaya's right to return to power unconditionally.

On Wednesday, police fired tear gas in Tegucigalpa to disperse thousands of angry demonstrators, as Zelaya called on the United States to do more to resolve the crisis.

Zelaya supporters clashed with riot police, who used tear gas and batons to beat back those marching on the national parliament building in the capital Tegucigalpa.

Protesters threw stones and broke the windows of several nearby businesses, ignoring police warnings of a crackdown.

An angry mob attacked a lawmaker known to back the June 28 coup against Zelaya, before police mounted a successful rescue.

The Organization of American States (OAS) plans to send a delegation of Latin American foreign ministers to Honduras next week to press for a negotiated solution to the crisis.