Honduran president hopes for peace on anniversary of 1969 Salvadoran war

                  TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) -- The Honduran president
                  commemorated the 30th anniversary of his nation's brief but bloody war with
                  El Salvador on Monday by urging Central Americans to strengthen peace in
                  the region.

                  "Peace is fundamental and the cornerstone for the economic and social
                  progress of the nations," President Carlos Flores Facusse said. "I hope that
                  not one more drop of blood will be spilled on Central American soil."

                  The president spoke in a ceremony to mark the July 1969 war which began
                  when Salvadoran soldiers invaded Honduras to fight over disputed border
                  territory.

                  The 100-hour conflict killed 6,000 people and wounded 20,000. Another
                  50,000 Hondurans lost their homes and lands when Salvadoran soldiers
                  razed their property.

                  The two nations signed peace accords brokered by the Organization of
                  American States in October 1980. A 1992 agreement granted Honduras 68
                  percent of the disputed territory.