Friday, 3 July 2009EU member states have withdrawn their ambassadors from Honduras in protest against the coup that ousted President Manuel Zelaya, the Swedish EU presidency said in a statement.
"The Presidency of the European Union expresses its deep concern over the political crisis in Honduras and the violations of the constitutional order," the statement said.
The EU "calls on all relevant parties and institutions to refrain from violence and to strive to find a swift and peaceful solution to the current situation."
"In response to the gravity of the current situation," the EU members with ambassadors in the country have withdrawn the envoys.
Among the 27 EU nations, only France, Germany, Italy and Spain have full ambassador-level representation in Tegucigalpa. The offices will be now run at the charge d'affaires level.
"I think that it is a clear sign of the position of Europe, of the international community, and the provisional authorities [in Honduras] must reflect on it," Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos told Spanish National Radio.
The Honduran military arrested Zelaya on June 28, the day polls were due to open for a referendum on the extension of his non-renewable, four-year term of office, and flew him to Costa Rica.
Parliamentary speaker Roberto Micheletti was sworn in as president of the Central American state after Zelaya was deposed. The military's action, apparently supported by the country's Supreme Court, has been condemned across the world.
The Organization of American States (OAS) gave Honduras on Wednesday a 72-hour ultimatum to restore the ousted president to power. Zelaya announced at a UN session that he would return to his country by the end of the week despite the threat of arrest.
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Friday, 3 July 2009
Ria Novosti
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