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Pahad coy on Aristide's asylum
10/03/2004 18:50 - (SA)
Pretoria - Foreign affairs deputy minister Aziz Pahad said after holding talks here with Haiti's ousted president Jean-Bertrand Aristide that it was uncertain that he would be granted asylum in South Africa.
Pahad has been in the Central African Republic and was expected to be asked for asylum by Aristide, said the department on Wednesday.
Spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa said that if the matter did arise Pahad had been ordered to return to South Africa to report back.
"We can't pre-empt what will happen. Officially, Pahad was sent to the country on a fact-finding mission to find out why and how Aristide was removed from power," he said.
Pahad left for the Central African Republic on Wednesday morning and was expected back either on Wednesday night or Thursday.
Pahad said that after holding talks here with Aristide that it was uncertain whether he would be granted asylum in South Africa.
Mamoepa said that if Aristide did ask for asylum, South Africa would have to embark on negotiations with the United Nations, the Caribbean Economic Community (Caricom) and the African Union before accepting or rejecting the request.
Powell has given his side of the story
On her return from India on Wednesday morning, Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosozana Dlamini-Zuma said she was waiting to hear what Pahad had learnt on his trip.
She said United States secretary of state Colin Powell had phoned her last week while she was in India and explained his side of the story.
South Africa was trying to gather information from Caricom and America on why Aristide was removed from power.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance has again raised its objections to Pahad's visit, calling him a "specialist in meets-and-greets with dictators and despots".
"He met with former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein and his deputy, Tariq Aziz, shortly before the US coalition invaded Iraq.
"Now he is cosying up to deposed Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide," said the party's Douglas Gibson.
He added: "The DA sincerely hopes Pahad is not in the CAR to begin negotiations on a deal to grant Aristide asylum in South Africa."
- AFP
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