Ambassadors from the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA) member states on Monday demanded the immediate restitution of Honduras President Manuel Zelaya, according to reports reaching here from Santo Domingo.

At a meeting in Dominican Republic's capital of Santo Domingo, ambassadors of Cuba, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Bolivia and Venezuela issued a joint statement "rejecting and condemning the shameful coup perpetrated against Manuel Zelaya's government which was elected by a sovereign people."

The statement also called for the international community to echo their condemnation and work hard to prevent bloodshed in the nation.

Zelaya was seized by hooded and armed soldiers at Honduras' Presidential Palace early Sunday morning and forced to board a plane to Costa Rica.

Later Sunday, Honduras' Congress announced to appoint Roberto Micheletti as the acting president after reading a resignation letter that Zelaya said was fake.

The Dominican Republic's left-wing parties also issued a statement decrying the "serious attack on the constitutional order and laws of a brother nation".

The document was signed by the Alternative Social Forum, People's Unity and National Transport Workers Union, the Action for Change Accord and the Dominican Cuban Solidarity Campaign.

The Dominican Republic suffered a coup in 1963 which overthrew the government of Juan Bosch, "the negative effects of which the great majority of us continue to suffer," the statement said.

The statement also called on Dominicans to demonstrate publicly against the coup and called for the Dominican government to make a clear and categorical declaration joining most of the world in condemning the events.

Source: Xinhua