Aristide muzzled: Contact with journalists restricted, say hosts

"All agents of the private press and the foreign press must go to the foreign ministry over any matter related to the stay of Jean-Bertrand Aristide, for better coordination and orientation," said a broadcast government statement.

Aristide arrived in the impoverished, landlocked country on Monday, after being deposed during weeks of violence and rebellion which has left hundreds dead in his Caribbean island nation.

Officials here said he was just passing through before going into exile somewhere else. They were due to debate his presence on Tuesday, but put it off because President Francois Bozize and Prime Minister Celestin Gaombalet were not in the capital.

Since his arrival, Aristide has raised hackles, first by saying in an interview on CNN that he had been ousted by a coup orchestrated by Washington and then complaining that he was a prisoner in Bangui.

That brought a sharp response from the government, which told him to show some respect for his host nation's hospitality and its allies, without whose help Aristide "would be dead by now," in the words of Government spokesman, Parfait M'bay.
Several European and US media teams have since shown up to cover his story. Yesterday, the government said they should all seek accreditation.

M'bay said the issue would finally be discussed some time yesterday, a day after Aristide said he planned to go back to Haiti, insisting he had not officially resigned.

Aristide levelled more accusations against the CAR's friends, accusing France of colluding with the United States to remove him from office after he asked Paris to repay Haiti's "independence debt", estimated to be worth $21.7 billion (17.8 billion euro).

"It's as clear as day. I demanded, on behalf of Haiti, the restitution of this debt, which was our right... They (the French) reacted by unkindness, resorting to persecution and a systematic campaign of disinformation, and by colluding in this political kidnapping," Aristide said in a phone conversation with French writer, Claude Ribbe, of which AFP obtained a recording.

He added that he was "not the kind of person to stay in exile".
Observers have said that Bangui came under pressure from foreign powers to take in Aristide, probably in exchange for aid and international recognition of a post-coup government.

The state coffers have been emptied by years of high-level corruption and political instability, and the current government came to power after the coup on March 15 last year in which elected leader Ange-Felix Patasse was ousted.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/html/20040305T220000-0500_56677_OBS_ARISTIDE_MUZZLED.asp