Tegucigalpa  - Honduras' de facto President Roberto Micheletti has said that the military officers who expelled ousted president Manuel Zelaya from the country could be brought to trial, according to reports Tuesday.

"I am absolutely certain that they will be brought to trial, as should happen to anyone who makes a mistake," Micheletti was quoted as saying on Monday.

The Honduran Supreme Court has admitted to issuing an arrest warrant for Zelaya, but says it never authorized his expulsion to Costa Rica after his ouster in a June 28 coup.

Army chief Romeo Vasquez told the daily Proceso Digital that the military respected the law and would "submit to the appropriate court."

Army lawyers have said the decision to expel Zelaya was based on a situation of necessity described in the Honduran legislation.

The de facto government headed by Micheletti on Monday repealed a controversial decree that had restricted freedom of movement and expression in the Central American country.

Hours earlier, in Washington, Zelaya had issued a statement asking the de facto government to end repression and restore freedom of expression as signs it is serious about dialogue to end the country's political stalemate.

Zelaya returned secretly from exile on September 21 and took refuge in the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa. The international community has refused to recognize the de facto government and has demanded Zelaya's reinstatement.

The Organization of American States (OAS) is to send to Tegucigalpa on Wednesday a foreign ministers mission headed by OAS Secretary-General Jose Miguel Insulza that will seek to bring the parties in conflict closer to each other.

The delegation was to feature the foreign ministers of Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico and Panama.