BEIJING, July 2 -- Ousted President Manuel Zelaya said he will travel back to Honduras on Thursday, in defiance of an army coup at the weekend that sent him into exile.

    Speaking in Nicaragua's capital Managua, Zelaya said chief of the Organization of American States (OAS) Jose Miguel Insulza had offered to accompany him to Honduras.

    Zelaya insisted that a new constitution be essential to mend some "historical wrongs" in the nation, but opponents said he only planned to use the process to seek a second term which is not allowed under the current constitution.

    Roberto Micheletti, named by Honduras' Congress as the new president after Zelaya was detained by a group of coup soldiers, said Zelaya could be met with an arrest warrant.

    Last week, Zelaya sacked Honduras's top military chief General Romeo Vasquez after military commanders refused to distribute ballot boxes for a Sunday referendum, which triggered the coup.

    Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Managua. (XHTV)