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Central Africa Accuses Aristide of Behaving Irresponsibly
"Will nobody rid us of this meddlesome priest?"The Central African Republic authorities will meet in the coming days with ousted Haitian leader Jean-Bertrand Aristide to "clear up" whether he wants to remain in Bangui or head into exile elsewhere, government spokesman Parfait Mâbay said Wednesday. "We hope that former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide will be able to meet the countryâs authorities so that a certain number of points can be cleared up, because we still donât know if he wants to stay in Bangui for a while or continue on his way to South Africa," Mâbay said in a radio interview. Ever see "The Man who came to Dinner"? Aristide arrived Monday after fleeing his Caribbean island state following weeks of unrest that claimed scores of lives. But the next day, Aristideâs behaviour was proving a headache for his Central African Republic hosts. "Heâs already started to embarrass us," Mâbay said. "Heâs scarcely been here 24 hours, and heâs causing problems for Central African diplomacy." Mâbay slammed Aristide for making "irresponsible statements" to US television network CNN on Tuesday, including that he was ousted in a coup orchestrated by Washington. I hate it when houseguests make long distance phone calls. Sources close to the former priest have said he felt a prisoner in Bangui -- another irritant to the government, which gave Aristide and his wife Mildred a red carpet welcome, housed them in a luxurious villa and let them have a phone, Mâbay said. Need to import a few Haitians to protest in front of the guest house just to make him feel at home. A cabinet meeting called for Tuesday to discuss Aristideâs future was postponed for a few days because President Francois Bozize and Prime Minister Celestin Gaombalet were not in the capital. Bozize has said in a statement that the impoverished country -- struggling financially and starved of international recognition after a coup nearly a year ago toppled elected president Ange-Felix Patasse -- had "agreed to give refuge to the former president of the worldâs first black republic, Haiti," at the request of Gabonese President Omar Bongo. If he likes him so much, why didnât Omar take him in? When Aristide arrived Monday, officials insisted he was only stopping off en route to exile elsewhere, probably in South Africa, where the ousted leader enjoys good relations with President Thabo Mbeki. But on Tuesday, a spokesman for Mbeki said South Africa would not take a snap decision on granting asylum to Aristide, preferring instead to discuss the issue with other countries and the United Nations. "We never expected him to take us up on our offer, it was just something we mentioned at a cocktail party." Issues to be thrashed out would include "funding, the issue of security and protection, the issue of what kind of diplomatic immunity. ... And it is not an easy thing that can be done overnight. ... It takes a bit of time," Mbekiâs spokesman Bheki Khumalo said on public radio. They are checking to see if Aristide has any cash left. The Central African Republic, which has been riddled by years of high-level corruption that has emptied state coffers, can ill afford -- on financial or diplomatic grounds -- to provide safe haven for Aristide, accused by his opponents of being involved in political assassinations, drug running and illegal enrichment. But the deposed leaderâs presence here was proving a boon for the landlocked nation by making it the focus of world media attention, according to Mâbay, while a local daily said it allowed the country to "burnish its image as a country of refuge and help." Plus the media coming to interview Aristide have deep pockets. Posted by: Steve 2004-03-05 |
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