Honduras' Zelaya says he faces assassination by coup leader

TEGUCIGALPA, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Honduras' ousted President Manuel Zelaya said on Tuesday that he has the risk of being assassinated by coup leader upon his return.

Zelaya, who was whisked out of Honduras during a military coup on June 28, accused Romeo Vasquez Velasquez, head of Honduras' armed forces, of plotting a murder against him.

Romeo Vasquez said after the coup that Zelaya was exiled to avoid "deaths and injuries," noting that arresting Zelaya "could have caused deaths and injuries" if his supporters had tried to free him.

"I believe they have the intention to do it. They are hiring armed groups. He (Vasquez) has clearly said that he will have me killed before my return or after I enter Honduras," Honduras' Radio Globo reported, quoting Zelaya who was forced into exile in Nicaragua.

Rejecting reconciliation with Zelaya, the interim government leader Roberto Micheletti had threatened to arrest the deposed president once he set foot on the Honduran soil.

"If Romeo does not kill me, I will go to my town to visit my family, and any direct harm will be the responsibility of General Romeo," said Zelaya.

Zelaya has said he will return to Honduras within a few days if Costa Rican President Oscar Arias fails to help reach an agreement between the rival sides.

Zelaya's previous attempt to fly home on July 5 in a Venezuelan aircraft was thwarted by Honduran troops, who blocked the runways in Tegucigalpa, capital of the Central American nation.

"They would dare to do that ... to place a sniper and say that the rebel groups did it. We foresee all these possible consequences," Zelaya said.

Zelaya repeated his plan to return to Honduras but did not give a specific date or itinerary.

A new round of negotiations aiming to solve the Honduras crisis ended in a stalemate Sunday as both sides failed to reach agreement on Zelaya's return, a key issue of any compromise plan.

Both sides agreed to resume talks on Wednesday.

In Honduras, most people are waiting earnestly for the result of the negotiations as fears of the country's possible return to its war-plagued past spread and the political crisis' impact on the economy becomes evident.