Obama said that the coup which ousted Zelaya was "not legal" and added that it set a "terrible precedent," and called for international cooperation to solve the crisis peacefully, after talks with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe.

Soldiers removed Zelaya from his bed early Sunday and sent him to Costa Rica, sparking international outcry.

Zelaya's overthrow was triggered by a standoff between the president and the military and legal institutions over his bid for a vote on changing the constitution, which would allow him a stab at a second term.

Copyright AFP 2008, AFP stories and photos shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium