Ousted Honduras President Zelaya and coup chief to hold talks today

"I want to clarify that our presence here does not represent any negotiation," he told reporters at the airport in San Jose Wednesday night.

"It's simply listening through a mediator ... to the approach of those who have established this regimen of fact, those who kicked out their servant and brought him here by force at dawn on the 28th of June of 2009, to see how they are planning their departure."

Zelaya arrived on a flight from Washington, where he had met with a representative of the U.S. State Department, which has backed his demand to be returned to power.

Manuel Zelaya told reporters on Wednesday that he is seeking the resignation of the coup leaders who forced him into exile, arguing that international opinion was on his side. Backing up that claim of international support, the US said on Wednesday that it had suspended $16.5m in assistance programmes to the Honduran government.

"It is going to be a dialogue for the departure of the coup leaders, Zelaya said, referring to Thursday's talks in Costa Rica, in which Oscar Arias, the Costa Rican president, will serve as a mediator.

"It should not last more than one day - however, that has not yet been agreed upon."

Zelaya bristled over the suggestion that he might consider negotiating with provisional President Roberto Micheletti, the former congressional leader and now the newly installed president.

"It's as if you were to invite to your place a criminal who raped your family and wanted you to accept conditions for that violation," said Zelaya, whose term in office was to end in January. "Democracy is a popular right. It is a right of the society."

Zelaya said Micheletti "should logically present his excuses and his requirements for his departure in the next 24 hours."

Meanwhile, Nicaragua declared on Wednesday it would not grant the Honduran coup leader, Roberto Micheletti, permission to fly over its territories into Costa Rica.