20292: (Chamberlain) Africa-Hosting Aristide (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Greg Chamberlain <GregChamberlain@compuserve.com>

   By ALEXANDRA ZAVIS

   JOHANNESBURG, March 12 (AP) -- African nations were quick to declare
support for ousted Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide when he was
forced from office by a bloody rebellion and international pressure. But
when it came to providing him asylum, there was an awkward silence.
   Less than three weeks after he was whisked to Central African Republic
in an American jet, Jamaica's prime minister announced Thursday that
Aristide was returning to the Caribbean to be reunited with his two
daughters.
   Prime Minister P.J. Patterson made clear that Aristide's visit to
Jamaica was temporary and said Aristide was finalizing plans for "permanent
residence outside of the region." But he did not say where that would be.
   African leaders, meeting recently in Libya, said they could not be
indifferent to what is happening in Haiti because it is part of the African
Diaspora. The country was born after the world's first successful slave
rebellion 200 years ago.
   In a statement issued later by the African Union, the continent's
leaders expressed concern about the circumstances of Aristide's departure,
saying "the unconstitutional way in which President Aristide was removed
set a dangerous precedent for duly elected persons."
   The 53-member organization urged its members to grant Aristide asylum
and pledged "full support to the country that will agree to grant such
asylum."
   U.S. and Caribbean officials have said that Aristide's first choice of
destination would be South Africa -- a comfortable, well-developed country
a safe distance from Haiti that has led efforts to strengthen ties with the
Diaspora.
   But while South Africa has indicated it is not in principal opposed to
taking in Aristide, it maintains it has received no formal asylum request.
   The prospect that he might come raises a number of concerns for
President Thabo Mbeki -- one of the few international leaders to attend
Haiti's bicentenary celebrations in January.
   Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, who supported efforts by the
15-member Caribbean Community to negotiate a solution to Haiti's crisis,
has expressed displeasure that these talks were not given a chance to
succeed.
   Aristide also maintains he is the rightful ruler of Haiti and accuses
the United States and France of forcing him from office on Feb. 29, as
rebels advanced on the capital, Port-au-Prince.
   Both countries deny the charge. But CARICOM has asked for an
international inquiry.
   South Africa backed the call and sent a three-member delegation headed
by Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad to Central African Republic this week
to look into Aristide's claims.
   While Pahad met with both the former leader and his current hosts, he
said the question of Aristide's long-term asylum plans did not come up.
   South Africa -- like its neighbors -- would not want to appear to be
endorsing what Aristide claims was a coup, said Greg Mills, director of the
South African Institute of International Affairs.
   "Africa does not want to be seen supporting such unconstitutional
actions because it has so often been the victim of them itself," Mills
said.
   South Africa's involvement in Haiti has also caused a whirlwind of
controversy for Mbeki just weeks before April 14 elections.
   Opposition leaders say South Africa should not align itself with
Aristide, once hailed as a champion of democracy, but now accused of
corruption and violence against his opponents.
   Many of South Africa's concerns are shared by other African nations.
   Morocco, another country mentioned by diplomatic sources as a possible
destination for Aristide, was quick to say no.
   The country already took in Congo's late dictator, Mobutu Sese Seko,
when he was forced from power in 1997 and does not want to become a dumping
ground for unwanted leaders, diplomats said. It is also coping with a
devastating earthquake.
   Aristide's presence has been just as problematic for Central African
Republic, which has complained about the cost and expressed irritation with
its guest for claiming he is a prisoner.
   While Gen. Francois Bozize's government, which itself seized power in a
coup, hoped the decision would win it favor with Western leaders, it has
been unpopular at home.
   "We just chased a dictator away from our country. So why accept
Aristide?" said Jean-Louis Pasteur, a photographer searching for clients on
the streets of the capital, Bangui.
   Central African Republic, which initially said Aristide would only be
staying a few days, has since indicated he can remain if he so desires.
That seems unlikely.
   The country is nearly as troubled as the one he left and is so
impoverished that civil servants haven't been paid in 32 months.
   "CAR is run by a thug. It's a broken state. It's marginal. It's a hell
of a place to wind up," said J. Stephen Morrison of the Washington-based
Center for Strategic and International Studies.
   A Jamaican official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Aristide
would likely seek asylum in South Africa after its elections are over.
   "After the elections, my guess is they'll bring him in," Morrison said.
   ------
   Associated Press Writers Angela Doland in Central African Republic and
Stevenson Jacobs in Jamaica contributed to this report.