Brazil requests U.N. meeting on Honduras

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Brazil said on Tuesday it is requesting an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council to address the crisis in Honduras in the wake of ousted President Manuel Zelaya's return to the country.

In a letter to the members of the council, Brazil said it is concerned "with the safety of President Zelaya and with the security and the physical integrity of the (Brazilian) embassy premises and personnel."

The letter was signed by Brazil's U.N. ambassador, Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti.

Zelaya, who was ousted in a coup in June, sought refuge at the Brazilian embassy in the capital Tegucigalpa after slipping back into the country on Monday, undetected by forces of the de-facto government.

Honduran police fired tear gas at Zelaya supporters demonstrating on Tuesday outside the Brazilian embassy. At least two gas canisters landed inside the embassy compound during the confrontation, a Reuters photographer said.

The embassy also had energy and water supplies disrupted for a few hours, Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim said earlier on Tuesday, adding that acts against the country's diplomatic mission "would not be tolerated."

In the letter, the Brazilian government said it reaffirms that "the Organization of the American States continues to be the appropriate forum where a political solution should be found to the situation in Honduras."

Brazil, which does not have a permanent seat at the Security Council, also requested that it be allowed to participate in any Council meeting on the crisis following Zelaya's return.

(Editing by Paul Simao)