19567: Lemieux: BBC: Exiled Aristide flies to Africa (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: JD Lemieux <lxhaiti@yahoo.com>

Story from BBC NEWS:
Published: 2004/03/01 17:02:58 GMT

Exiled Aristide flies to Africa
Haiti's deposed President Jean-Bertrand Aristide has
arrived in the Central African Republic after fleeing his
crisis-hit country on Sunday.
But it remains unclear if he will stay there or seek asylum
in a third nation.

A CAR official was reported to have said Mr Aristide would
stay only for a few days before going to South Africa.

South African Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad had said there
had been no formal request for asylum, but that it had no
opposition "in principle".


Special relationship

South African president Thabo Mbeki was the only head of
state to attend Haiti's 200th anniversary celebrations in
January.

A US state department official said South Africa was
helping find a destination for the former Haitian leader.


The idea has been given muted support in South Africa,
where Mr Mbeki has been criticised for going too softly on
Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe.

"If it's going to help things giving even a nasty man
political asylum in a country so that solutions may be
found to problems in his country, you do it," said foreign
affairs committee chief Pallo Jordan.

"You might hold your nose while you do it, but you do it
nonetheless."


Civilian jet

The Central American states of Panama and Costa Rica have
also offered to take him.


We have to look at Haiti with compassion
Panama's President Mireya Moscoso
Mr Aristide arrived in the CAR early on Monday with his
wife and three others.

The communications minister of the CAR, one of the least
developed countries on the continent, said he hoped the
international community would help cover the costs of Mr
Aristide's stay, the Associated Press reported.

Mr Aristide left Haiti in a civilian jet on Sunday.

The plane landed on the Caribbean island of Antigua where
it refuelled and took on supplies for about an hour before
heading across the Atlantic Ocean.

Panamanian President Mireya Moscoso first revealed that Mr
Aristide was seeking asylum "in an African country", even
as she said her country would accept him.

"We have to look at Haiti with compassion, and if Panama
could help in a given moment we would think about it," she
said.


Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/3520923.stm

Published: 2004/03/01 17:02:58 GMT

© BBC MMIV


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