Central African Republic moves to silence Aristide

by Christian Panika

Saturday, March 6, 2004

BANGUI, Central African Republic (AFP): The government of the Central African Republic moved Friday to silence its difficult guest, ousted Haitian leader Jean-Bertrand Aristide, but said it is not ready to expel him from the country.

"The government has instructed the foreign ministry and myself to once again go and point out to him that he has an obligation to be discreet that he must respect," government spokesman Parfait M'bay said following a late-night cabinet meeting to discuss what to do with Aristide.

"We are not however going to take away the telephone from him, nor oblige him to leave without consulting with the friends who asked us to welcome him."

National radio earlier announced that all local and foreign journalists with questions relating to Aristide, who has annoyed his hosts with embarrassing statements, must henceforth first address themselves to the CAR authorities.

"All agents of the private press and the foreign press must go to the foreign ministry over any matter related to the stay of Jean-Bertrand Aristide, for better coordination and orientation," said a broadcast government statement.

Aristide arrived in the impoverished, landlocked country on Monday, after fleeing weeks of violence and rebellion on his Caribbean island nation which has left hundreds dead.

Officials here said he was just passing through before going into exile somewhere else. They were due to debate his presence on Tuesday but put it off because President Francois Bozize and Prime Minister Celestin Gaombalet were not in the capital.

Since his arrival, Aristide has raised hackles, first by saying in an interview on CNN that he had been ousted by a coup orchestrated by Washington and then complaining that he was a prisoner in Bangui.

That brought a sharp response from the government, which told him to show some respect for his host nation's hospitality and its allies, without whose help Aristide "would be dead by now," in M'bay's words.

Several European and US media teams have since shown up to cover his story. The government on Friday said they should all seek accreditation.

On Thursday, Aristide said he planned to go back to Haiti, insisting he had not officially resigned.

Aristide levelled more accusations against the CAR's friends, accusing France of colluding with the United States to remove him from office after he asked Paris to repay Haiti's "independence debt", estimated to be worth 21.7 billion dollars (17.8 billion euros).

"It's as clear as day. I demanded, on behalf of Haiti, the restitution of this debt, which was our right... They (the French) reacted by unkindness, resorting to persecution and a systematic campaign of disinformation, and by colluding in this political kidnapping," Aristide said in a phone conversation with French writer Claude Ribbe, of which AFP obtained a recording.

He added that he was "not the kind of person to stay in exile."

Observers have said that Bangui came under pressure from foreign powers to take in Aristide, probably in exchange for aid and international recognition of a post-coup government.

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