ESTORIL, Portugal, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- Heads of state and government and senior officials attending the 19th Ibero-American Summit on Tuesday demanded the immediate restitution of ousted President Manuel Zelaya to power, but failed to reach a consensus on the legitimacy of the presidential elections held on Sunday in the country.
Although the Honduran coup which occurred on June 28 this year and Honduras' presidential elections held on Sunday were not on the summit's work agenda, they both became key issues and were thoroughly discussed at the meeting.
The majority of the Ibero-American leaders did not recognize the results of the Sunday general elections, while Panama, Costa Rica, Colombia and Peru were in favor of the recognition of the elections, which were won by conservative Porfirio Lobo from the opposition.
Some presidents of the Ibero-American countries did not appear at the summit, including Cuba's Raul Castro, Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, Bolivia's Evo Morales, Uruguay's Tabare Vasquez, Paraguay's Fernando Lugo, Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega, Guatemala's Alvaro Colom, and the ousted President of Honduras Zelaya who has been sheltered in the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa since September.
The summit which closed on Monday also issued a resolution condemning the June-28 coup and requesting the immediate restitution of Zelaya to his position.
The leaders also requested the end of the harassment toward the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa and pledged they would keep on working toward a solution which allows the return of a democratic government to Honduras.
According to the Lisbon Declaration released at the closing session of the 19th summit, the Ibero-American leaders also stressed that the summit's main theme of "innovation and knowledge" must become a permanent work system and an instrument to help eradicate poverty, fight hunger and improve the health of all Ibero-American citizens.
They also agreed to establish a new program on Technological Innovation and to create the Ibero-American Biannual Forum on Technology.
Additionally, they also discussed the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference in Danish capital Copenhagen, calling on the developed countries to take the lion's share of responsibility for reducing the global warming and seeking a solution to the international financial crisis and to work together with the developing countries to build a new international financial system.
Moreover, the summit condemned the U.S. economic embargo against Cuba and agreed to work together to fight corruption and terrorism.
The next Ibero-American Summit is scheduled to take place in Mar del Plata, Argentina, in 2010.
Difference remains on Honduran political crisis at Ibero-American Summit
ESTORIL, Portugal, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- The difference of viewpoints on the Honduran political crisis remained as Ibero-American leaders met in Estorial, Portugal, on Monday.
Foreign ministers of these countries failed to reach an agreement at Monday's meeting, but the Honduran issue was still on the agenda of the 22 heads of state and government or their representatives, ensuring that a statement would be released during the Ibero-American.Full story
Differences on Honduras election divide Ibero-American Summit
ESTORIL, Portugal, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Ibero-American Secretary-General Enrique Iglesias said on Monday afternoon that there are divergences about the political crisis in Honduras among the representatives who participate in the 19th Ibero-American Summit, which takes place in Estoril, Portugal, but that a solution is expected for Tuesday.
Iglesias recognized the relevance of the Honduran matter, though it was not on the agenda of the meeting, which gathered representatives from 22 Ibero-American countries, and said that "everybody agrees that the occurrences in Honduras represent a regress from a democratic path." Full story
