In an official declaration after their meeting here Wednesday, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, Honduras' President Porfirio Lobo and El Salvador's President Mauricio Funes called on the international community to support their joint efforts to make the Gulf of Fonseca a zone that will benefit the three countries.

　　The three heads of state also agreed to explore the possibility of creating a tri-national authority to manage the gulf as a peaceful, secure and sustainable development zone.

　　The Gulf of Fonseca, located on the Pacific side of the region, borders El Salvador to the north, Honduras to the east and Nicaragua to the south.

　　The presidents gave a technical commission, which will consist of personnel from the foreign ministries of the three countries, a maximum of 30 days to present the development plan for the maritime region, which has previously been a source of tension among the three.

　　"The gulf will stop being a zone of conflict to become a zone of unity for these three Central American countries," said Ortega.