20275: Esser: Haiti President Aristide's Central African Republic Arrival Still a Puzzle (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: D. Esser torx@joimail.com

http://www.allAfrica.com

March 11, 2004

Haiti President Aristide's Central African Republic Arrival Still a
Puzzle
By Charles Cobb Jr.
Washington, DC

As Peter DeShazo, Deputy U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for
Western Hemisphere Affairs puts it, the government of the Central
African Republic simply called up the aircraft Haiti President
Jean-Bertrand Aristide had boarded and invited him to take refuge in
his nation.

"After he had departed Port-au-Prince the Government of the Central
African Republic had offered to receive him, and the decision was
made," DeShazo told a briefing Wednesday at the Foreign Press Center
here.

Despite being peppered with questions by reporters seeking details on
the deposed president's flight, DeShazo would go no further when
asked about reports that both Panama and Costa Rica had offered
temporary asylum to the deposed president: "I return to my answer.
President Aristide was flown to the Central African Republic, where
he was offered to come in, and that's where he ended up. I'm not
going to go into any other details on that."

DeShazo confirmed that the U.S. government was involved in
negotiating where Aristide would find asylum by saying that the
possibility of Aristide going to South Africa "was raised with the
government of South Africa." But again he offered no details. It is
also not known whether the aircraft carrying Aristide filed a flight
plan before taking off.

DeShazo did offer some insight into the administration's thinking
about Haiti's turmoil, revealing that officials had written
Aristide's government off. "The political status quo in Haiti on the
eve of President Aristide's departure we view as a failed status quo
that we were not willing to risk sending our troops in to defend, nor
were any other countries."

Meanwhile, leading a 3-person delegation, South African Deputy
Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad arrived in the Central African Republic
Wednesday morning for discussions on Aristide. Although Central
African Republic Foreign Minister Charles Wenezoui had said that the
South African delegation had come to discuss Aristide's final
settlement plans, Pahad said he didn't bring up the issue when he met
with Aristide. As to whether Aristide might go to another African
nation, "It's an African Union decision," said Pahad.

Pahad was in Washington for discussions with the State Department last
week.

Copyright © 2004 allAfrica.com.
.