The "military junta" in Honduras "would be entering a de facto state of war" should they harm his ambassador in Tegucigalpa, the firebrand leftist leader warned Sunday.

Ambassador Armando Laguna had been at the home of Honduran Foreign Minister Patricia Rodas when she was detained by authorities, Chavez said.

"We would have to act, even militarily," he said on Venezuelan television, adding Laguna was "shoved" by Honduran soldiers at Rodas's home.

Cuba's ambassador in Tegucigalpa, Juan Carlos Hernandez, was also at the house and roughly treated by soldiers, Chavez said.

"I could not stand by with my arms crossed knowing that they are attacking our ambassador," he said.

"We cannot yield to thugs. We cannot allow a return to thuggishness."

But Chavez, a thorn in Washington's side in Latin America, welcomed as a "significant position" initial reactions from US President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Obama said he was "deeply concerned" about Zelaya's overthrow and Clinton said the arrest and expulsion of the Honduran president "violates the precepts of the Inter-American Democratic charter and should be condemned by all."

Chavez said he would launch a continental battle to see Zelaya restored to the presidency, hours after the Honduran leader was ousted and flown to Costa Rica.

And Chavez railed against the new interim president Robert Micheletti voted by the Honduran Congress to take over from Zelaya until the presidential term ends in January, warning him to be prepared to "pack his bags because you'll end up in prison or in exile."

Hundreds of Venezuelans also gathered before the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas in a show of support for Zelaya, waving flags and banners.

Some protesters compared the situation in Honduras to the failed Venezuelan coup in 2002, when Chavez was removed from power for two days.

related report
Global concern as Honduran leader ousted
The United States led a chorus of condemnation Sunday as Honduran troops backed by parliament ousted President Manuel Zelaya, with many countries demanding his swift reinstatement.

"We recognize Zelaya as the duly elected and constitutional president of Honduras. We see no other," a US State Department official told reporters on condition of anonymity.

Dozens of troops surrounded Zelaya's home in the Honduran capital Sunday and arrested the 57-year-old president, putting him immediately on a plane to fly him into exile in Costa Rica.

The move came after a tense political standoff as Zelaya, elected in 2005 for a non-renewable four-year term, sought to push a constitutional referendum to allow him to stand for a second term in November elections.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the arrest and expulsion of the Honduran president "violates the precepts of the Inter-American Democratic charter and should be condemned by all."

"We call on all parties in Honduras to respect constitutional order and the rule of law, to reaffirm their democratic vocation, and to commit themselves to resolve political disputes peacefully and through dialogue," Clinton said.

US President Barack Obama also said he was "deeply concerned' about the events unfolding in Honduras, and called on all sides "to respect democratic norms (and) the rule of law."

Spain, the former colonial ruler of Honduras before independence, added its voice to the global outcry.

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero Sunday strongly condemned the expulsion of the Honduran president and demanded his reinstatement.

"The head of the government expressed his strongest condemnation for the illegal detention and expulsion of the constitutional president of the republic of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya," a statement from Zapatero's office said.

Zapatero thought it "unacceptable that constitutional order and democratic stability had been disrupted" and urged the reinstatement of president Zelaya "in the position to which he was democratically elected."

And the president of the UN General Assembly, Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann, also condemned the moves to depose Zelaya.

D'Escoto "firmly and categorically condemns the criminal action by the army in the Republic of Honduras that has broken the constitutional order by carrying out a coup d'etat against President Manuel Zelaya," his office said in a statement.

He repeated allegations echoing in Latin America that Washington had somehow engineered the moves to oust Zelaya, who was elected on a conservative ticket but has moved increasingly towards the left.

Pointing to the new policy toward Latin America announced by Obama at a Summit of the Americas in Trinidad last month, D'Escoto said: "Many are now asking if this coup is part of this new policy as it is well known that the army in Honduras has a history of total collaboration with the United States.

"In order to eliminate any doubt, it is absolutely necessary that President Obama immediately condemns the coup against President Zelaya," he added.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez also denounced the arrest of Zelaya, describing it as a "coup d'etat" and suggesting the United States was implicated.

Speaking in Caracas, Chavez urged Obama to speak out against Zelaya's arrest, saying "the Yankee empire has a lot to do" with developments in Honduras.

The European Union also condemned Zelaya's ousting.

"This action is an unacceptable violation of constitutional order in Honduras," said Czech Republic Foreign Minister Jan Kohout told reporters.

Britain meanwhile called for the restoration of democratic and constitutional government in Honduras.

"We support the Organization of American States' call supporting the rule of law and are deeply concerned about the deployment of military personnel onto the streets of Tegucigalpa," said Junior Foreign Office minister Chris Bryant.

The OAS Permanent Council was said to be working on a consensus resolution to call for Zelaya's return and for a restoration of democracy.

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