The EU
Condemned The Honduran Coup and Obama Called
For Calm
"Any existing tensions and disputes must be
resolved peacefully through dialogue free
from any outside interference," Obama said.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
urged all parties in Honduras to respect the
constitution and the rule of law.
Honduras was a staunch U.S. ally in the
1980s when Washington helped Central
American governments fight left-wing
guerrillas.
The United States still has 600 troops
stationed at Soto Cano Air Base, a Honduran
military installation that is also the
headquarters for a regional U.S. joint task
force that conducts humanitarian, drug and
disaster relief operations.
"The commanders at Soto Cano are taking
appropriate force protection measures,"
Pentagon spokesman David Oten said.
Sunday's coup was the first successful
military ouster of a president in Central
America since the Cold War era.
An opposition deputy said Congress would
chose Roberto Micheletti, the head of
Congress, as acting president later on
Sunday, and Honduras' top electoral court
said a presidential election would be held
as planned on November 29.
The Supreme Court, which last week came out
against Zelaya and ordered him to reinstate
fired military chief Vasquez, said on Sunday
it had told the army to remove the
president.
"It acted to defend the rule of law," the
court said in a statement read on Honduran
radio.
The global economic crisis has curbed growth
in Honduras, which is heavily dependent on
remittances from Honduran workers abroad.
Recent opinion polls indicate public support
for Zelaya has fallen as low as 30 percent.
Honduras is a major drug trafficking transit
point.
It is also a big coffee producer but there
was no immediate sign the unrest would
affect production.
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