Port of Spain (June 29, 2009) – The Association of Caribbean States (ACS) strongly condemns the military coup d’état that took place early Sunday morning in the Republic of Honduras against the legal, constitutional and democratically elected  President José Manuel Zelaya Rosales.

President Zelaya was forced from his residence and expelled to Costa Rica without any due respect for his legitimate authority. This rupture of the constitutional order is unacceptable and the ACS reiterates and demands his restitution as President of the Republic.

The ACS adheres to the positions of SICA (Central American Integration System) ACS Founding Observer, the Rio Group and other international organizations that have condemned the violation of the constitutional and democratic order in Honduras.

At the same time, we highlight our condemnation of the brutal treatment that Honduras military personnel gave to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Patricia Rodas as well as the Ambassadors of Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela. This situation is a serious violation of International law, and the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.