Zelaya's Return - Finally

After the "return any hour now" headline was tossed around for over a week, Zelaya returned to Honduras today, for about thirty seconds before hopping back into Nicaragua.

This is going to be manipulated in many ways. He was not arrested by the forces present, but they probably did not want to act with the reporters, probably outnumbering them, watching closely. Zelaya can say he has control because he wasn't arrested. The Honduran government can call Zelaya a coward for not entering and doing the march to the capital as promised.

Despite this, the crowd in favor of Zelaya had to be dispersed in Honduras with tear gas when they became belligerent. Now, the quick return is described as follows:

LAS MANOS, Nicaragua (Reuters) - Ousted President Manuel Zelaya took a symbolic step inside Honduras on Friday but he paused at the border, backing away from a confrontation with Honduran troops waiting to arrest him.
Accompanied by a pack of international reporters and television cameras, the ousted leader in his trademark cowboy hat took a step or two inside Honduran territory in the small town of Las Manos on the border with Nicaragua.
Pausing to give live telephone interviews, he approached the chain dividing the two central American nations, stepping briefly over and holding the chain over his head in triumph for a moment and touching a sign saying "Welcome to Honduras."
With troops standing just yards away, he said he did not want to proceed further out of "respect for the principles" of the military.

Excerpt over. Zelaya paused out of fear of the arrest order those soldiers have, not respect for their principles. If he respected their principles he would not have fired the top general before being removed because that general refused to go forward with distributing ballots for a vote declared illegal by the supreme court and congress of Honduras. If he respected them he would not have stormed a military base with his supports trying to force the vote a day before his removal.

He has no respect for the Honduras military or the rule of law. He did not march to the capital because he has fear, not respect.

Update: The article this was based on is here:
http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE56N4YL20090724