Aristide free to speak in SA
2004-06-02 17:29
Pretoria - Ousted Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide was not a refugee in South Africa, but a free person and a guest of the government, Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said on Wednesday.
She told reporters in Pretoria that Aristide would be allowed to make political speeches while in the country.
"I am sure he is not going to be organising an armed struggle from here," she said.
"He can talk to anyone, he's a free man."
The minister would not say how much has been budgeted for Aristide's stay. She said no extra expenditure would be required for his housing, security guards and transport as these were paid for by the government as a matter of course.
Asked if he would be allowed to stay indefinitely should his own country not welcome him back at any stage, Dlamini-Zuma said: "We'll cross that bridge when we get there."
- SAPA