Roberto Micheletti, who took over after the ousting of Honduran President Manuel Zelaya, says he has no objection to advancing elections set for November to help resolve the country's political crisis.
"As long as it's within the law, there's no problem, I'd have no objection if that was a way to solve this kind of problem," Micheletti said on Thursday.
Earlier, coup leaders in Honduras had vowed that the ousted Zelaya will "never return to power" despite mounting international pressure and an ultimatum by the Organisation of American States.
The crisis entered its fifth day on Thursday with no break in the impasse between the international community and backers of an army-backed coup in which Zelaya was hustled out of bed on Sunday and sent into exile in his pyjamas.
The OAS on Wednesday threatened Honduras with suspension if it did not restore Zelaya to power in 72 hours, but interim president Roberto Micheletti told AFP in an exclusive interview, "We can't negotiate anything.
"We can't reach an agreement because there are orders to capture the ex-president Zelaya here for crimes he committed when he was an official," he said, speaking in the half-deserted presidential palace after swearing in new members of his cabinet.
"He'll never return to power," Micheletti said of Zelaya, a leftist who angered the political establishment here by trying to hold a referendum to make constitutional changes that would allow him to run for a second term.
Zelaya was biding his time in Panama where he attended the inauguration of that country's new president on Wednesday after meeting with US officials in Washington.
He had vowed to return to Honduras on Thursday but put it off while the clock ticked on the OAS ultimatum.
"We will wait 72 hours in order to continue with this process," Zelaya told reporters in Panama City.
If the OAS suspends Honduras, it would be only the second country to be thrown out of the regional grouping since Cuba in 1962.
The New York Times reported that OAS officials said they had begun informal discussions with "political actors" close to the new government to find common ground for a peaceful resolution.
An OAS official told the Times that the organisation's secretary-general, Jose Miguel Insulza, was headed to Tegucigalpa on Thursday for further talks.
Meanwhile, the international community continued to heap pressure on Honduras.
Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero called on Thursday for Zelaya to be reinstated.
"He could have committed acts that could lead to political indictment or in the court, but it is undeniable that a president cannot be held by the military and expelled from the country," he told Spanish National Radio.
"We must be very firm," he said.
Italy on Wednesday joined France and Spain, the former colonial power, in recalling its ambassador to Honduras, while the 27 nations of the European Union agreed to have no contact with the leadership of Sunday's coup.
"I have just spoken to my European colleagues and I can tell you that at this moment, all the European embassies in Tegucigalpa have decided to withdraw their ambassadors," Spain's Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos told national radio on Wednesday.
The Inter-American Development Bank on Wednesday halted aid, following a similar move by the World Bank. And the United States indicated it may follow suit, saying it would wait until Monday before making a decision.
The Pentagon suspended all military activities with Tegucigalpa until further notice, a spokesman said.
Micheletti said he was sending a delegation to the United States next week to explain the coup leaders' side of the story, and insisted the impoverished nation would still receive aid.
"You know that the European Union isn't going to cut help to this country, nor will the North Americans," Micheletti said.
He suggested Honduras would muddle through until scheduled presidential elections November 29 and a new government takes office in January.
The white-haired, firm-speaking Micheletti said his concern was with the people inside Honduras.
"If the international community considers we have committed crimes, or some error, they can condemn us and that's it."
AFP
