JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (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 offering 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 this was a temporary visit and said Aristide was finalising 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."
FULL SUPPORT
The 53-member organisation 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 principle 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 Carib-bean 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 into the matter.
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 neighbours 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.
CONCERNS
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 was 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 favour 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 asks. That seems unlikely.
TROUBLED
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," the official said.
Associated Press Writers Angela Doland in Central African Republic and Stevenson Jacobs in Jamaica contributed to this report.
