TEGUCIGALPA, July 5 (Reuters) - Honduras' interim President Roberto Micheletti on Sunday warned Nicaragua to respect its border and said it was willing to defend itself after reporting small groups of Nicaraguan troops were moving near the border.

Micheletti said the Nicaraguan troops could be acting without authorization of commanders along their mutual border to the south of Honduran capital Tegucigalpa. But he said they had not crossed over the border.

The comments came as ousted President Manuel Zelaya attempted to fly home a week after he was ousted in a coup. Zelaya is a left-wing ally of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez, both U.S. adversaries. (Reporting by Patrick Markey; editing by Mohammad Zargham)

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