26 Jul 06 00:22 01:22 UK
Honduras mine protest closes road
news.bbc.co.uk
A protest over a controversial law over mine ownership in Honduras has closed parts of the Pan-American Highway.
Hundreds of Catholic priests, agricultural workers, environmentalists and students took part in the protest in western Honduras.
The protest was over a 1998 law which allowed foreigners to own as much as 34% of Honduran mines.
"We do not want foreign capital that destroys our territory," said bishop Monsignor Luis Alonso Santos.
"We will maintain our position until the mining law is abolished," he said.
Protestors 'armed'
The protest on Tuesday had closed four parts of the highway, the country's major arterial route.
Police spokesman Silvio Inestroza said police officers were watching the protest from some distance and that "some of the protesters are threateningly armed with machetes", the AP news agency reported.
The protest was organized by the Civic and Democratic Alliance, a body representing more than 15 environmental groups.
Honduran President Manuel Zelaya said the protesters were giving the country a bad image.