TEGUCIGALPA – Spain’s Deputy Prime Minister said here Aug. 1 that she offered Honduran President Manuel Zelaya a pact under which Madrid will agree to admit a certain number of immigrants from Honduras based on the needs of the Spanish labor market.
The offer was made by MarÃa Teresa Fernández de la Vega at a meeting she held with Zelaya at the presidential palace.
The accord regarding the flow of immigrants, on which representatives of both governments will now start working, will determine the procedures for selecting workers in the Central American country who will be allowed to travel to Spain.
Fernández, who announced at the end of June that there were 5,098 Hondurans living in Spain, explained that the quota of workers who will be able to take advantage of the accord will be fixed at the proper time based on Spain’s labor needs.
Zelaya also expressed his thanks for the Spanish government’s decision to cancel another chunk of Honduras’ debt to Spain.
Development aid to Honduras from all donor countries represents 29% of the budget of Zelaya’s government and 5.8% of this Central American nation’s Gross Domestic Product.
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