Aristide 'didn't ask SA asylum'

2004-03-25 20:51

Johannesburg - Former Haitian president Jean Bertrand Aristide had not requested asylum from South Africa, said Ronnie Mamoepa of the department of foreign affairs on Thursday.

He was responding to an AFP report that South Africa had granted permanent asylum to Aristide from mid-April. The report quoted "diplomatic sources".

The sources, who asked not to be named, said Aristide might leave for South Africa after the April 14 general elections.

Mamoepa said: "South Africa has not received any official request for asylum from President Aristide."

AP on USA Today earlier reported that Aristide would take permanent asylum in South Africa, but not until it had held general elections in April, according to Jamaican officials.

The officials said on condition of anonymity that President Thabo Mbeki's government demanded the delay in Aristide's arrival because it could be "politically unsettling" before the election.

USA Today reported that presidential spokesperson Bheki Khumalo had said there would be no immediate comment.

Opposition leaders have said the government should not support Aristide, who is accused of corruption and violence against his opponents.

In the early days of Aristide's exile, South Africa had said it would accept him if he asked for asylum, the report said.

In the meantime, Aristide would remain in Jamaica, said two high-ranking government officials, according to the report.

- AP