Lawmakers' refusal to reinstate Zelaya refutes Chavez: Honduran leader

The Honduran National Congress' vote against restoring ousted President Manuel Zelaya was a clear rebuttal of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's remarks on Honduras, said Honduran de facto leader Roberto Micheletti Thursday.

"It is a message for all countries which try to dominate a country with money, force and oil, such as Mr. Chavez' Venezuela," Zelaya said, adding Honduras told Chavez he could not impose his own will over it.

Chavez said on Sunday his government would not recognize the results of Honduras' presidential election on Nov. 29, calling the voting a farce, after preliminary results showed opposition candidate Porfirio Lobo won the election.

Chavez said the Venezuelan government suspected the election results came from a crooked process.

Micheletti said Chavez's efforts to look for an agent in Honduras came to no avail.

He added he did not understand why some leaders in South America hated Honduras, which he said had done nothing more than deciding its own future.

On Wednesday, the majority of Honduran lawmakers voted against the reinstatement of Zelaya, who was deposed by a military coup on June 28.

Source: Xinhua