French Foreign Minister postpones Haiti visit

Wednesday, March 31, 2004

PARIS, France (AFP): French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin has postponed a visit to Haiti amid the political uncertainty following regional elections, the foreign ministry said Tuesday.

De Villepin had been planning to fly to Haiti on Thursday for the first visit to Port-au-Prince by a French foreign minister since Haiti gained independence from France in 1804.

Ministry spokesman Herve Ladsous said de Villepin's trip to Haiti, during which he was to meet the new Haitian authorities who replaced ousted president Jean-Bertrand Aristide, "should not be pushed back very long".

French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin was expected to announce a new cabinet line-up on Wednesday, following the governing center-right's trouncing by the Socialists in Sunday's vote.

De Villepin has been mentioned as a possible replacement for Finance Minister Francis Mer, but diplomatic sources said there was a "strong chance" that de Villepin would stay put at the Quai d'Orsay.

"I can't tell you anything, the decision falls to other offices in Paris," Ladsous said when asked to comment on the issue.

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