Former Cuban president Fidel Castro gives voice to the issue of the recent military ouster of the democratically-elected president of Honduras.

If Manuel Zelaya "is not returned to his post, a wave of coups threatens to sweep many Latin American governments," Castro wrote in a column published on Friday.

He went on to accuse Washington of training right-wing military leaders in Latin America to take up arms against their respective governments.

Latin American countries "will be left at the mercy of military men of the extreme right, educated in the security doctrine of the School of the Americas", Castro predicted.

The revolutionary leader was referring to a US military school where thousands of Latin American soldiers and officers have been trained since the early days of the Cold War.

On June 28, the military ousted Zelaya after his decision to hold a referendum to change the constitution and lift presidential term limits.

The Honduran Congress, which was also against the referendum, installed Roberto Micheletti as interim leader following the military intervention.

Representatives of Zelaya and Micheletti have begun talks in Costa Rica to find an end to the stalemate.

While Zelaya has promised not to overstay his first presidential term -- which will last until the end of January 2010 --, Micheletti has warned that the president would not be able to return to the country unless he is ready to face justice.

Following the coup, riots broke out in Honduras and the international community weighed in to condemn the intervention, demanding the swift return of the democratically elected president.

According to Castro, Honduras was "occupied by the armed forces of the United States" because of a US military base that had been in the country for years and played a role in fighting leftist rebellions in Central America in the 1980s.

Zelaya had moved Honduras away from its traditional ally, the United States, and allied his country with Cuba, Venezuela, Ecuador and other leftist countries in Latin America.

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