EU regrets Honduras coup, calls for respect for democracy

(BRUSSELS) - The European Commission on Monday urged that "the democratically elected institutions" be respected in coup-hit Honduras, and called an urgent meeting with Central American ambassadors to consider the future of trade talks.

"I regret the recent events which have taken place in Honduras," EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said after the Honduran army ousted elected President Manuel Zelaya and sent him into exile.

"The European Commission attaches the greatest importance to the respect for the rule of law, democracy and the democratically elected institutions," she stressed.

"Therefore, we urge all parties involved to resolve their differences peacefully, in full respect of the country's legal framework, and to promptly engage in a dialogue," Ferrero-Waldner added.

The EU commissioner offered "support" in such a dialogue and stressed Europe's "long history of close relations with Honduras and the Central American region as a whole."

However a spokeswoman for Ferrero-Waldner said the EU Commission had arranged a meeting for later Monday with Central American ambassadors to consider the impact of the events in Honduras on efforts to secure an Association Agreement, including a free-trade deal between the regions.

Honduras is part of those EU negotiations along with Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua.

Ferrero-Waldner will meet the Honduran ambassador separately in Brussels on Tuesday, her spokeswoman said.

"Then we will decide the way forward" for the regional talks, she added.

"The commission attaches great importance to the finalisation of the negotiations with the Central American region and we still hope that we can do this by the end of the year," as scheduled, the spokeswoman continued.

"The ambassadors will have to tell us whether it is still possible," to wrap the talks up this year.

A meeting on the subject between the EU executive and the Central American nations concerned had already been set for next month.

Honduras interim leader Roberto Micheletti imposed a nationwide 48-hour curfew after the national congress voted him in as the country's new leader just hours after Zelaya fled to Costa Rica and later Nicaragua.