UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Monday expressed "deep concern" over the ouster of Honduran President Manuel Zelaya by the military.
In a statement, Ban urged "the reinstatement of the democratically elected representatives of the country and full respect for human rights, including safeguards for the security of President Zelaya, members of his family and his government".
The statement was issued Sunday by a spokesman and posted Monday on the UN website.
Honduran soldiers Sunday staged a coup against Zelaya, evicted him to Costa Rica and confiscated documents from the executive mansion. The move followed days of rising tension over a proposed constitutional referendum that had been slated for Sunday and if passed, would have suspended term limits and allowed Zelaya to run for another term.
Later Sunday, Honduras' unicameral National Congress removed Zelaya from office and designated Congress Speaker Roberto Micheletti as his successor.
Ban supported the immediate diplomatic efforts by the Organization of American States, which just hours after the military takeover condemned the coup and said it would not recognize any government but that of Zelaya.
The OAS General Assembly, made up of foreign ministers from OAS members, is to debate the events Tuesday after 2000 GMT in a special session in Washington.