STATEMENT ISSUED BY THE CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY (CARICOM) ON THE SITUATION IN HONDURAS

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Geater Georgetown, Guyana) The following is a Statement issued by the Caribbean Community on the situation in Honduras.

The Caribbean Community views with grave concern the developments in Honduras which led to the removal by a military intervention of the democratically elected Head of State of the Republic of Honduras, President Manuel Zelaya, and to his expulsion to Costa Rica.

The Caribbean Community condemns the military action which has interrupted the democratic process in Honduras and which contravenes the principles of the Inter-American Democratic Charter. The Community therefore calls for the immediate reinstatement of President Zelaya.

The Caribbean Community is also deeply concerned by reports that a number of Government officials and diplomatic representatives have been detained and may have been physically harmed. The Caribbean Community calls on all the parties involved in the developments in Honduras to refrain from any recourse to violence and to pursue a peaceful resolution to the current situation.

The Caribbean Community looks forward to the good offices role of the Secretary General of the Organisation of the American States in helping to restore respect for the rule of law and constitutional order for the benefit of the people of Honduras.