[A-List] Venezuela Offers Haitian President Aristide Asylum

[Rick Rozoff <r_rozoff@xxxxxxxxx>]

http://www.hindu.com/2004/03/18/stories/2004031800791700.htm

The Hindu
March 18, 2004

Chavez offers Aristide asylum in Venezuela


-Diplomatic wrangling between Haiti's new government
and Jamaica, which has provided temporary refuge to
Mr. Aristide, continued on Tuesday. Mr. Aristide spent
the day in a heavily guarded house in a retreat owned
by the Jamaican Government in the hills near the
resort town of Ocho Rios, and Jamaican officials said
they would not recognise Haiti's new government until
the issue was discussed at a meeting of the 15-member
Caribbean economic bloc, the Caribbean Community,
later this month.
-Since fleeing Haiti, Mr. Aristide has claimed that he
was forced from power by a U.S.-backed coup and
whisked into exile against his will.
He says he is still president of Haiti.
-The Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez, who has grown
increasingly hostile toward the United States in
recent speeches, jumped into the regional diplomatic
fray on Tuesday, saying he would not recognise the new
Government of Haiti and offering Aristide refuge in
Venezuela.



PORT-AU-PRINCE (HAITI), MARCH 17. Haiti's Interim
Prime Minister, moving quickly to prevent the country
from devolving into further disarray, reportedly
settled on a list of Cabinet members on Tuesday amid a
regional quarrel over Jamaica's decision to receive
the exiled President, Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

The Prime Minister, Gerard Latortue [from Florida],
who was appointed to the post last week, is faced with
the task of forming an interim government that can
begin the process of reactivating the public and
private sectors and winning the confidence of the
Haitian people, who have suffered through months of
political uncertainty. Mr. Aristide fled into exile on
Feb. 29 under pressure from armed rebels and the U.S.
and French Governments.

Officials involved in the Cabinet selection process
said Mr. Latortue had decided on at least 10 Cabinet
posts on Tuesday and might add others, depending on
how many Ministries he creates. The Prime Minister is
expected to make the formal appointments as early as
Wednesday.

The 10 Ministers selected so far, according to
officials close to the selection process, are mostly
technocrats who have not been deeply involved in
politics; the exclusion of politicians has reportedly
angered some of the country's political parties on
Tuesday. Mr. Latortue has said he intends to build a
government of national reconciliation. The Cabinet
will run the country until elections are held.

Diplomatic wrangling between Haiti's new government
and Jamaica, which has provided temporary refuge to
Mr. Aristide, continued on Tuesday. Mr. Aristide spent
the day in a heavily guarded house in a retreat owned
by the Jamaican Government in the hills near the
resort town of Ocho Rios, and Jamaican officials said
they would not recognise Haiti's new government until
the issue was discussed at a meeting of the 15-member
Caribbean economic bloc, the Caribbean Community,
later this month.

On Monday, Mr. Latortue said he was withdrawing his
Ambassador from Kingston and suspending diplomatic
relations with Jamaica and Caricom over their
decisions to side with Mr. Aristide.

The Haitian Ambassador had actually left Jamaica last
week, part of a mass recall of Ambassadors undertaken
after Mr. Aristide left Haiti, officials in Jamaica
said.

Since fleeing Haiti, Mr. Aristide has claimed that he
was forced from power by a U.S.-backed coup and
whisked into exile against his will.

He says he is still president of Haiti. American
officials deny the accusations and say they acted at
Mr. Aristide's request and probably saved his life as
rebels closed in on the capital.

The Caribbean Community, known as Caricom, has called
for an investigation into Mr. Aristide's claim.

The Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez, who has grown
increasingly hostile toward the United States in
recent speeches, jumped into the regional diplomatic
fray on Tuesday, saying he would not recognise the new
Government of Haiti and offering Aristide refuge in
Venezuela. ? New York Times News Service






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