Central American countries gather to discuss financial crisis

Special Report:Global Financial Crisis

MANAGUA, Dec. 5 (Chinese media) -- Senior officials in Central America held a meeting in Honduras on Friday to discuss the ongoing global financial crisis.

At the 33rd meeting of the Central American Integration System (SICA), an intergovernmental bloc of the region, the leaders focused on seeking a common stance toward the financial crisis, the Honduran Foreign Ministry said.

The leaders also discussed gaining support from the Central American Bank of Economic Integration to prevent a food crisis in the region.

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega received the bloc's rotating presidency of six months at the meeting in San Pedro Sula province, about 180 km northwest of the Honduran capital Tegucigalpa.

The SICA, founded in 1991, has Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama as its member states. The Dominican Republic from the Caribbean is an associate member.