Aristide says he part of solution to Haiti's woes

08 Oct 2004 19:51:01 GMT
Source: Reuters
By Mboniso Sigonyela

JOHANNESBURG, Oct 8 (Reuters) - Ousted Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide said on Friday he could be part of the solution to strife in the Caribbean nation, convulsed by violence since he was forced into exile in February.
"I'm part of the solution because I was elected by the Haitian people and the Haitian people today are open for dialogue as I'm open for dialogue," Aristide told public broadcaster SABC in South Africa where he was granted exile.

 

Haitian president
"We can have that dialogue to pave the way for a better life and I think it's time to do that," Aristide said in one of his first public interviews since the latest violence erupted.
Haitian police backed by U.N. peacekeepers have battled Aristide supporters amid gang violence that has killed 45 people in recent days, including seven policemen.

The military commander of U.N. troops in Haiti, Brazilian General Augusto Heleno Ribeiro Pereira, recently said Haitian authorities must act to quell the hostilities, but only on the basis of credible intelligence.

 
Aristide was overthrown in a military coup during his first term in 1991, and disbanded the army after he was restored to power in 1994. Many former soldiers joined with rebel leaders to oust Aristide in February and hundreds have since joined Haiti's police force.

Members of Aristide's Lavalas Family party have accused interim authorities of using squads of former soldiers to intimidate, persecute and kill slum residents.

Government officials accused Aristide loyalists of beheading a former soldier they believed to be spying on them. South Africa, one of Aristide's staunchest supporters, granted the former president and his wife refuge in May and they have since taken up research fellowships at a South African university.

Pretoria says Aristide was the victim of U.S.-sanctioned "regime change" and has backed a United Nations probe into events surrounding his departure from Haiti on Feb. 29 in the face of an armed revolt.

Aristide, who has kept a relatively low profile since arriving in South Africa, told the SABC that forces opposed to his government were sowing havoc in the country.