19569: Lemieux: AP Aristide arrives for African exile (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: JD Lemieux <lxhaiti@yahoo.com>

Aristide arrives for African exile
3/01/04


BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) --Looking pale and
exhausted, Jean-Bertrand Aristide arrived to hastily
arranged exile in Africa Monday, across the Atlantic from
rebels who forced him from power as Haiti's first elected
president.

Aristide, his wife, and a handful of others landed just
after daylight in the Central African Republic, a nation as
impoverished and nearly as coup-prone as the one he fled a
day earlier.

Authorities in Bangui said the United States, France and
the west African nation of Gabon negotiated Aristide's
asylum in the Central African Republic. State radio said it
would last only a few days, with South Africa possibly a
permanent stop.

In his first public remarks since fleeing Haiti on Sunday,
Aristide condemned the armed insurgency that forced him out
-- yet said nothing about returning.

"In overthrowing me, they cut down the tree of peace,"
Aristide declared, in a short address played on state radio
here. "But it will grow again, because the roots are
well-planted."

Earlier, government ministers stood by as Aristide
descended from a white jet, in a rumpled suit and a firmly
knotted tie. His wife, appearing extremely worried,
accompanied him as the sun rose over this capital of squat
buildings.

The Associated Press reported that a videotape of
Aristide's arrival showed no red carpet and greeting from
the host head of state usually afforded dignitaries.

Officials drove the couple to the palace of Central African
Republic's leader -- Gen. Francois Bozize, who himself came
to power in March 2002 by overthrowing this country's
elected but increasingly unpopular leader.

Aristide appeared to remain in the palace throughout the
day. Soldiers were out in heavier than usual numbers around
the presidential compound, and turned back an AP reporter
who tried to approach it.

In Pretoria, South Africa's capital, Deputy Foreign
Minister Aziz Pahad said Monday he knew of no formal asylum
request, but said his country did not "in principle, have
any opposition" to taking in Aristide.

"Our biggest wish now is that the killings must stop,
stability must be restored, the interests of the people
must be taken into consideration," Pahad told reporters,
speaking of Haiti.

Western diplomats in South Africa also said they had no
indication that Aristide was heading to that country.

It was not clear how the Central African Republic came to
be Aristide's first known stop. Bozize, however, has been
courting international support and aid as he tries to
restore stability to his country.

"He's here with his wife and we've granted them asylum for
the beginning, and then we'll see what happens,"
Communications Minister Parfait Mbaye told AP, adding the
ex-Haitian leader's ultimate fate could be known "in the
days to come."

Earlier in his flight from Haiti, Aristide told a Caribbean
official on the island of Antigua that he was bound for
South Africa, the official said.

In his radio address, Aristide thanked authorities Central
African authorities, and saluted Africa and its people --
"because Africa is the father of us, Haitian men and
women."

Although rich in gold, diamond and other resources, the
impoverished nation of 3.7 million is habitually unable to
make its civil servants payroll, helping spark incessant
strikes, unrest and coup attempts. The country has
weathered nine coups or coup attempts since independence
from France in 1960.

So cash-strapped it has been unable to make civil servants'
payroll for months, Central African Republic said it hoped
for international help footing the bill for Aristide's
stay.

"It's good to get Aristide here in Central African
Republic," said Pierre Eibone, a policeman in his 40s
patrolling bullet-scarred Bangui. "But Central African
Republic isn't a paradise for dictators."





Copyright 2004 The Associated Press.

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