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BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) - A five-member delegation of U.S. and Jamaican officials met ousted Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide on Sunday in Central African Republic, the country where he sought exile two weeks ago. The delegation, which included Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., planned to escort Aristide to Jamaica, where he will meet with his family for several weeks before going into permanent exile somewhere else - possibly South Africa. Sharon Hay-Webster, a representative of the Caribbean Community regional bloc who is leading the delegation, said Aristide was likely to leave before midnight Sunday after a meeting with Central African...

Delegation departs from Miami to retrieve Aristide JOHN PAIN Associated Press MIAMI - A delegation of American and Jamaican officials departed Saturday to bring ousted Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide from his exile in Africa to be reunited with his family in Jamaica. The five-member delegation boarded a 13-seat charter Gulfstream jet in Miami and expected to arrive in Central African Republic on Sunday afternoon after several refueling stops. Delegation members, including U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., said bringing Aristide to Jamaica was not an attempt for the former leader to regain power in Haiti. She called their mission "humanitarian." Aristide...

Bangui 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 M'bay said Wednesday. "We hope that former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide will be able to meet the country's authorities so that a certain number of points can be cleared up, because we still don't know if he wants to stay in Bangui for a while or continue on his way to South Africa," M'bay said in a radio interview. Aristide arrived Monday after fleeing his...

MIAMI (Reuters) - Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide says his departure from his country was a "kidnapping" as heavily armed "white men" surrounded the National Palace, according to a statement released on Saturday. "During the night of the 28th of February 2004, there was a coup d'etat. One could say that it was a geopolitical kidnapping. I can clearly say that it was terrorism disguised as diplomacy," Aristide said in the statement, a transcript of a Friday radio address "to the Haitian People and the World" delivered by cellular telephone to a California radio station. The United States has repeatedly dismissed...

Lagos Worried by the diplomatic implications of former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide's allegation that he was kidnapped and ousted by United States troops, Central African Republic (CAR), where he is staying at the moment, has warned him to stay silent for now. In Haiti, rebel leader, Guy Philippe who entered the capital Port-au-Prince Monday declared himself the head of Haitian army formerly disbanded by Aristide. Aristide, who resigned Sunday and arrived in CAR on a flight arranged by the US government, said he was forced to leave by the American military, a claim dismissed by Secretary of State Colin Powell...

BANGUI, Central African Republic - The African hosts of Jean-Bertrand Aristide have asked the exiled Haitian leader to stop blaming the United States for his ouster as they work to get another country to take him, a top official said Tuesday. Aristide, who resigned Sunday and came to the Central African Republic on a flight arranged by the U.S. government, said American troops forced him to leave Haiti — a claim adamantly denied by Secretary of State Colin Powell and other American officials. His claim — made in interviews with The Associated Press, members of the U.S. Congress and activists...

<p>JOHANNESBURG — Jean-Bertrand Aristide faces an uncertain future in Africa, with even his most faithful ally on the continent — South Africa — showing little interest in granting him asylum.</p> <p>The ousted Haitian president arrived in Bangui, the remote capital of the Central African Republic, aboard a U.S.-provided flight from Antigua yesterday after an overnight journey and was whisked to the presidential palace.</p>

Secretary of State Colin Powell says exiled former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide bears a large, if not the major, part of the blame for the political crisis that forced him out of office. At a news conference Monday, Mr. Powell provided further details of the weekend negotiations that led to the Haitian leader's departure, which the secretary stressed was voluntary. The secretary's comments at a news conference with European Union officials reflected U.S. frustration with Mr. Aristide's performance in office, especially in the critical final days, and were the most detailed statements offered by a senior U.S. official about the...

Mar 1, 7:41 PM (ET) ATLANTA, Ga. (AP) - Jean-Bertrand Aristide said in a telephone interview Monday that he was "forced to leave" Haiti by U.S. military forces who said they would "start shooting and killing" if he refused. Aristide was put in contact with The Associated Press by the Rev. Jesse Jackson following a news conference, where the civil rights leader called on Congress to investigate Aristide's ouster. When asked if he left Haiti on his own, Aristide quickly answered: "No. I was forced to leave. "They were telling me that if I don't leave they would start shooting,...

US Marines, French troops start Haiti peacekeeping mission PORT-AU-PRINCE : Several hundred US Marines and French troops arrived in Haiti to restore order as exiled president Jean Bertrand Aristide sought temporary refuge in the Central African Republic. More than 300 troops were on the ground, while US Secretary of State Colin Powell said a total of 1,000 US troops eventually would be in Haiti. Advertisement "US forces have been sent to secure key sights in the capital for the purpose of establishing peace and security and help promote the constitutional and political process," said Colonel Dave Berger, who commands the...

EXCLUSIVE BREAKING NEWS: PRESIDENT ARISTIDE SAYS 'I WAS KIDNAPPED' 'TELL THE WORLD IT IS A COUP' Multiple sources that just spoke with Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide told Democracy Now! that Aristide says he was "kidnapped" and taken by force to the Central African Republic. Congressmember Maxine Waters said she received a call from Aristide at 9am EST. "He's surrounded by military. It's like he is in jail, he said. He says he was kidnapped," said Waters. She said he had been threatened by what he called US diplomats. According to Waters, the diplomats reportedly told the Haitian president that if...

Aristide Arrives in Central Africa 1 hour, 47 minutes ago By JOSEPH BENAMSSE, Associated Press Writer BANGUI, Central African Republic - Former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide arrived in the Central African Republic Monday, fleeing Haiti under an asylum offer negotiated by France and the United States, the government here said. Aristide and a small entourage including his wife flew into this impoverished, Africa nation in the early morning. Shortly after arriving, he gave a brief address to Central African Republic state radio — his first public comments since leaving Haiti. "In overthrowing me, they cut down the tree of peace,"...

BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) - Former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide arrived in the Central African Republic Monday, fleeing Haiti under an asylum offer negotiated by France and the United States, the government here said. Aristide and a small entourage including his wife flew into this impoverished, Africa nation in the early morning. Shortly after arriving, he gave a brief address to Central African Republic state radio - his first public comments since leaving Haiti. "In overthrowing me, they cut down the tree of peace," the exiled leader declared. "But it will grow again, because the roots are well-planted." He...

How the French Plunder Africa France's unchallenged political, economic, and military domination of its former sub-Saharan African colonies is rooted in a currency, the CFA franc. Created in 1948 to help France control the destiny of its colonies, fourteen countries--Benin, Burkina-Faso, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Togo, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Bissau Guinea, and Chad--maintained the franc zone even after they gained independence decades ago. In exchange for France guaranteeing the CFA franc's convertibility, these countries agreed to deposit 65% of their foreign exchange reserves in a special account within the French Treasury and granted to...