SOUTH AFRICA: South Africa yesterday supported a call by Caribbean states for an international investigation of the circumstances surrounding the exile of the deposed Haitian president, Mr Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
"The international community must not be seen to be wavering in its commitment to democracy and the respect for the rule of law, particularly in the face of anti-democratic forces," said Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. "In this regard, we join in the call for an investigation under the auspices of the United Nations to clarify the circumstances leading to the departure of President Aristide."
The Haitian government and foreign military forces gained a tentative grip on the country yesterday as US and French troops stepped up patrols and armed rebels who had helped to depose the president prepared to leave the capital.
Banks reopened after two weeks of shooting and looting in the capital, Port-au-Prince. The government says that the month-long rebel uprising cost Haiti about $300 million, which is roughly equivalent to its yearly budget.
But many city slums, strongholds of the feared pro-Aristide supporters known as "chimeres", who are armed with automatic weapons and machetes, were still too dangerous to enter. People feared reprisals and there were reports of several lynchings of Aristide supporters. Gun battles erupted on Wednesday after police and some rebels began a search for Aristide supporters in the La Saline shantytown. A local radio station reported that three people had been killed.
Prime Minister Yvon Neptune has declared a state of emergency, allowing the government to suspend certain constitutional rights such as press freedom and the right to demonstrate.
Under US pressure, the rebel leader, Guy Philippe, said that he would disarm his soldiers and return to Haiti's second city, Cap Haitien, by today.
- (Reuters)