mr president again i am pleased to contribute briefly to this debate on behalf of my colleague benita ferrero-waldner as we look at the political crisis in honduras
after many years latin america is again experiencing an institutional rupture
the crisis in honduras shows us how fragile is the rule of law and the institutional framework for the resolution of conflicts in some latin american countries and indeed how these countries can plunge into crisis especially now that they are going through a period of strong political polarisation
the commission reacted promptly
we expressed our deep concern about the events in honduras and we stressed the great importance we attach to the respect for the rule of law democracy and democratically elected institutions
we have urged all parties involved to resolve their differences peacefully in full respect of the country's legal framework and to promptly engage in a dialogue in the interests of peace and stability in the country
we deplored the violent confrontations even more so as they have resulted in the loss of human lives and we called upon all parties involved to show the utmost moderation and restraint
the commission declared it would be ready to support all initiatives aimed at a peaceful solution of the crisis and at restoring the constitutional order
as the presidency has said we supported the initiative by the organisation of american states and its secretary-general mr insulza which unfortunately did not bear fruit
we strongly welcomed the mediation efforts of the costa rican president and trust that they will result in a peaceful settlement of the crisis
following the events in honduras and after consulting the central american governments and eu member states it was decided to postpone the next round of negotiations with a view to an association agreement with central america negotiations that were due between six and ten july in brussels
but we trust that these negotiations can resume as soon as possible
again as the presidency has said in response to the gravity of the situation the local ambassador of the eu presidency has been recalled for consultations and all other eu ambassadors have also left the country
in close cooperation with the presidency and the member states we continue to explore the ways in which we can best contribute to the solution of this crisis
for the time being suspending our cooperation has not been decided but disbursement of our financial commitments related to budgetary support has been put on hold
we are very much aware that the events in honduras could create a dangerous precedent a step back in terms of democracy and could destabilise the region
therefore we continue to follow the situation closely and we support all efforts to find a peaceful solution
we will continue to keep parliament informed about any further development
