U.S. President Barack Obama said on Monday that Honduras coup was "illegal," stressing that ousted leader Manuel Zelaya should remain the president of the country.

Speaking to reporters after talks with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe at the White House, Obama called for international cooperation to solve the political crisis in Honduras.

It would set a "terrible precedent" if the coup in Honduras was not reversed, Obama warned.

Hours before Obama made the remarks, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told a news conference that the United States believes the unrest in Honduras "has evolved into a coup."

"We think that the arrest and expulsion of a president is certainly cause for concern that has to be addressed," she said.

It was reported that the Honduran army ousted and exiled President Zelaya, 56, on Sunday in the first military coup in Central America since the Cold War, triggered by his bid to make it legal to seek another term in office.

Source: Xinhua