Mbeki ends visit to Haiti
2004-01-02 21:03
JOhannesburg - President Thabo Mbeki, his wife Zanele, Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and senior government officials ended their visit to Haiti on Friday.
Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa said Mbeki was scheduled to end his visit in a meeting with Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, representatives of opposition political parties and civil society members.
"The meeting with the opposition political parties and the government comes in the wake of the request made to Dlamini-Zuma for South Africa to assist the people of Haiti to address the economic and political challenges facing their country," said Mamoepa.
"The role that South Africa will play in this regard will be determined by the Haitians themselves in conjunction with the leadership of Caricom - the Caribbean Economic Community," he said.
Mbeki was in Haiti to take part in its bicentennial celebrations marking Haiti's 200 years of independence from France.
On Thursday, Mbeki, Aristide, and Prime Minister Perry Christie of the Bahamas addressed thousands of Haitians during the National Day of Celebration in Haiti.
'Blatantly false'
Mamoepa said Friday's meeting would "mark the end of a successful state visit to the Bahamas and Haiti, respectively."
Mamoepa also said the suggestion that Mbeki's life was threatened and that South African protection units came under fire in Haiti were "blatantly false".
"At no stage was the life of the president and his delegation at risk," he said.
His comments were in response to earlier police reports that a South African helicopter belonging to Mbeki's advance protection team had come under fire.
Dlamini-Zuma would head to Jamaica where she was expected to address the South African diplomatic corps based in the Americas, he said.
- SAPA