MONTEVIDEO – The presidents of the Mercosur trade bloc nations on Tuesday expressed their “most energetic condemnation” of the coup in Honduras and announced their “full non-recognition” of the new government that emerged from the Nov. 29 elections.

The stance was established in a “special communique” issued during the Mercosur summit and was signed by the Presidents Cristina Fernandez of Argentina; Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil; Fernando Lugo of Paraguay; Tabare Vazquez of Uruguay and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, which is an associate member awaiting full membership.

The declaration by the bloc member states plus Venezuela, which was read publicly by Vazquez, says that “the serious violations of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of the Honduran people (are) unacceptable.”

“With the lack of reinstatement of President Jose Manuel Zelaya in the office to which he was democratically elected by the Honduran people, (the Mercosur members) express complete and full non-recognition of the elections held last Nov. 29 by the de facto government,” the document adds.

According to the signatories of the declaration, the elections “were held in an environment of unconstitutionality, illegitimacy and illegality, constituting a heavy blow to democratic values for Latin American and the Caribbean.”

In addition to the communique, at the Mercosur Summit, which is being held on Tuesday in Montevideo, each member country leader expressed his or her repudiation for what occurred in Honduras in their speeches.