Ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya has been invited to address the UN General Assembly, the assembly president said on Monday.

Honduran Interior Minister Jorge Arturo Reina (shown on the screen), who is also the permanent representative to the United Nations, speaks during the urgent meeting held by the UN General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York June 29, 2009. The UN General Assembly held the urgent meeting on Monday to discuss the situation in Honduras, where President Manuel Zelaya was ousted by a military coup. [Shen Hong/Xinhua]

"I have sent a letter to the president of Honduras, Jose Manuel Zelaya, to come to the United Nations and address the General Assembly as soon as possible and give us an update report on events in his country," D'Escoto Brockmann said.

D'Escoto made the announcement as he opened an urgent plenary session of the General Assembly to discuss the situation in Honduras.

Honduran President Manuel Zelaya attends a news conference in Tegucigalpa, capital of Honduras, on June 27, 2009. Honduran President Manuel Zelaya was arrested at home on June 28, 2009 by troops and was taken to an air force base near the capital Tegucigalpa, Zelaya's private secretary told Xinhua. [David/Xinhua]

The assembly president called the military coup "an outrageous attack on Honduran democracy," and urged the 192-nation body to consider ways to ensure "a peaceful restoration of the legitimate government of President Zalaya in the hours and days ahead."

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, reports said.

In a statement issued on Sunday, UN Secretary-general Ban Ki-moon expressed deep concern about the latest development in Honduras, calling on all Hondurans to make efforts to peacefully resolve their differences.

Honduran Congress President Roberto Micheletti (1st L) swears in as acting president of Honduras at the Honduran Congress to replace the ousted Manuel Zelaya in Tegucigalpa, capital of Hongduras, June 28, 2009. [David De La Paz/Xinhua]

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."

(Xinhua News Agency June 30, 2009)