Brazil plans to ignore a 10-day deadline set by Honduras' de facto government to decide the fate of ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya, who took refuge in the Brazilian embassy last week after sneaking back into the country, Reuters reported. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula Silva rejected the ultimatum on Sunday and demanded an apology from Honduras' de facto leader Roberto Micheletti, who issued a harsh statement on Saturday warning Brazil to define Zelaya's status. "Brazil will not comply with an ultimatum from a government of coup mongers," Lula told reporters at a summit in Venezuela, adding that international law ensures the sovereignty of its embassy in Tegucigalpa. Zelaya was overthrown in a military coup on June 28, but on Monday he returned from exile, sparking a tense standoff with the de facto civilian government that has promised to arrest him on charges of treason. Brazil had said Zelaya can stay as long as necessary, but the ultimatum presses Brazil to decide whether to give the deposed leader political asylum or send him out of the embassy to be detained by Honduran authorities. "We urge the Brazilian government to define the status of Mr. Zelaya in a period of no more than ten days," the de facto government said in a statement. "If not, we will be obliged to take additional measures." The statement did not give details on those measures, but said Brazil must guarantee the diplomatic mission is not used by Zelaya to "incite violence". Since Monday, hundreds of soldiers and riot police have surrounded the embassy where protesters have mounted almost daily marches to demand Zelaya be reinstated. "If they enter by force, they will be committing an act that contravenes all international norms," Lula said of the security forces outside the building. Zelaya, a logging magnate who is rarely without his trademark cowboy hat, urged his followers to descend on the capital to pressure for his return. "I call on you to mobilize throughout Honduras, and that everyone who can come to Tegucigalpa to fight in the final offensive," he said in a statement on local Radio Globo. The United Nations Security Council on Friday condemned harassment of the Brazilian embassy. Brazilian officials say food and supplies have only occasionally been allowed in and troops have blasted the building with high-frequency sounds. Zelaya upset conservative elites by allying himself with Venezuela's socialist President Hugo Chavez. He demands to be restored to power, but the de facto government says November elections will resolve the crisis. Soldiers toppled Zelaya at gunpoint and sent him into exile in his pajamas after the Supreme Court ordered his arrest. His critics say he broke the law by pushing for constitutional reforms they saw as a bid change presidential term limits and extend his rule. Zelaya denies wanting to stay in power. His return stoked tensions in Honduras, a coffee and textile producing nation. One man was shot and killed in a clash between police and Zelaya supporters last week as pressure mounted to let the leftist return to power. The United States, European Union and Organization of American States have urged dialogue to bring Zelaya back to office. But the de facto government insists he must face justice at home.
