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TEGUCIGALPA — An emergency decree that prohibited large street protests and limited other civil liberties following the return of ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya will be repealed within 24 hours, the country's interim leader said Monday.
The decree, which resulted in dozens of arrests and the closing of two pro-Zelaya media outlets, is no longer necessary because "we have peace in the country," interim President Roberto Micheletti told the privately owned Channel 5 television network.
"We want to go back to normalcy," Micheletti said.
The interim president said his ministers planned to repeal the 45-day order at a meeting later Monday and it would be lifted as of Tuesday, when their decision is published in the government's official gazette.
Honduras' interim leaders issued the decree Sept. 27 in response to "calls for insurrection" by Zelaya as the ousted president sought refuge in the Brazilian Embassy after sneaking back into the country. He remains holed up in the Embassy with dozens of supporters amid international diplomatic efforts to end the crisis.
The decree empowered police and soldiers to break up public meetings, arrest people without warrants and restrict the news media, with armed troops stationed throughout the capital to enforce the order.
The main effect of the emergency decree was to close down the two main pro-Zelaya media outlets, Radio Globo and Channel 36, and it blocked protest marches for several days. Zelaya supporters eventually ventured out to demonstrate, but in much smaller numbers than before.
While the decree was in force, the government also retook control of a government Agrarian Institute building that had been occupied by protesters. They detained about 55 people and lodged sedition charges against 38, who were still in custody over the weekend.
Police spokesman Orlin Cerrato said about 1,000 people were detained for violating a curfew that was imposed before the decree.
Radio Globo has been broadcasting over the Internet. The station's owner, Alejandro Villatoro, said authorities seized his station's equipment and he did not know when it would be able to resume normal operations.
Zelaya was forced from office with the backing of the Honduran Congress and Supreme Court for trying to hold a referendum on rewriting the constitution. His opponents charged he wanted to lift the charter's provision limiting presidents to a single term — an accusation he denies.
With the backing of much of the international community, including the U.S. government, Zelaya is seeking to be reinstated to serve out his term, which ends in January. The U.S. has suspended millions of dollars in aid to Honduras, and its ambassador has refused to meet with Micheletti, in hopes of pressuring the interim government to relinquish power.
The Organization of American States, local representatives of the Catholic Church and others have been meeting with the competing factions, seeking to negotiate an end to the standoff. But the two sides remain divided over key issues, including whether Zelaya can reassume the presidency before scheduled Nov. 29 elections.
Micheletti indicated he was open to Zelaya's reinstatement after the elections. But he also insisted his rival could not be president while charged with abuse of power and other so-called political crimes — and suggested the matter was out of his hands.
"In any case, it would have to be the Supreme Court that takes the decision," he said.
In response, Zelaya told reporters his "reinstatement is not negotiatable." Still, he said he had "faith that this problem will be resolved soon."
Three members of the U.S. Congress were scheduled to meet Monday with Micheletti, officials of his government and others in the country as part of a fact-finding trip. The Florida Republicans — Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and brothers Lincoln and Mario Diaz-Balart — are among a number of U.S. lawmakers who oppose Zelaya, viewing him with suspicion because of his support from Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
"I hope to personally hear about the challenges that the Micheletti government is experiencing as a result of the aid that has been cut off by the misguided U.S. policy that wants to impose Zelaya into power even though he had violated the Honduran constitution," Ros-Lehtinen said in a statement sent by e-mail to The Associated Press.
