US: Aristide should leave Haiti behind

Tuesday, March 9, 2004

WASHINGTON, USA (AFP): The United States on Monday warned former Haitian president Jean Bertrand Aristide against stirring up "the past" after he declared he was still the leader of the troubled Caribbean republic.

"If Mr. Aristide really wants to serve his country, he really has to -- we think -- let his nation get on with the future and not try to stir up the past again," US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said.

Aristide appeared in public Monday, the first time since February 29, when he resigned and left Haiti for Africa.

"I am and I remain the elected president," Aristide said in Bangui, Central African Republic.

He also called for "peaceful resistance to restore constitutional order" in Haiti.

Aristide has insisted he was ousted in a coup orchestrated by the United States and France.

But Boucher insisted that Aristide "made a decision to resign for the best interests of his country, as he explained it to our representatives at the time" of his resignation.

"It was to prevent further bloodshed," Boucher said of the resignation.

"As far as his future in Haiti, that would be a matter for the Haitian people to decide somewhere down the road," he said.

Boucher also said that Aristide's eventual place of exile was not a US decision.

"He's free to leave for any country that would grant him entry.

"And in terms of where he stands now, as far as asylum goes, he's free to go to any country that might grant his asylum request.

"Those are decisions that would be made by the individual countries that we wouldn't be involved in."

A high-ranking US official also said that Aristide's first choice had been South Africa.

"When Aristide was going to leave (Haiti) he wanted to go to South Africa," the official said.

"We found out the South Africans were not in a position to accept him right away."

Aristide's departure February 29 was followed by several hours of uncertainty over his destination. The names of several other countries had come up including Morocco and Panama.

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