South Africa, Caribbean bloc investigate circumstances of Aristide departu [View All]

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South Africa and a bloc of 15 Caribbean nations are investigating the circumstances surrounding the ouster of former Haiti leader Jean-Bertrand Aristide, a South African official said Wednesday.

As part of that investigation, a South African delegation arrived Wednesday in the Central African Republic, where Aristide has been living in exile since March 1, a Central African Republic official said. The visit is part of South Africa's consultations with the 15-nation Caribbean Community, or CARICOM.

Ronnie Mamoepa, spokesman for the South African Foreign Affairs Ministry, said the three-person delegation is led by Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Aziz Pahad, but he would not identify its other members.

South Africa previously has called for an independent international investigation into the circumstances of Aristide's departure from Haiti.

Mamoepa also said the delegation will discuss Aristide's plans for long-term exile, but he refused to say whether an offer of asylum in South Africa would be discussed. It was not known when Aristide would meet the delegates, who arrived in a South African military jet and may leave by Friday, a Central African Republic foreign ministry official said.

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