by Jenny Gross and Michelle Faul %u2028
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Ousted ex-Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide will return within days to his homeland ending seven years in exile, a South African official said Friday. The former slum priest remains hugely popular and his return could disrupt elections this month in his earthquake-ravaged country.
In Haiti, an official with Aristide's party
confirmed that his "return is imminent," but declined to say how or
when he's coming back.
"It's an important event for the people in
Haiti because they have waited so long for this," said Maryse Narcisse,
the head of Lavalas' executive council. "He will not be traveling
incognito. People will know he is coming."
The party was barred from taking part in the vote,
and thousands of his supporters vowed last month to disturb the election if he
was not allowed to come back. The U.S. has warned his presence "would
prove to be an unfortunate distraction to the people of Haiti."
On Friday, State Department spokesman Mark Toner
told The Associated Press "this is a matter for the Government of
Haiti."
"The U.S. remains focused on helping ensure a
peaceful and democratic transition of power in Haiti, and that the second round
of elections, scheduled for March 20, accurately reflect the will of the
Haitian people," he said.
A South African Foreign Ministry official told the
AP that Aristide would return in the coming days. He spoke on condition of
anonymity because he is not authorized to make the official announcement.
Aristide's push to come back from exile follows the
stunning return of former dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier in
January. Aristide has said he wants to help reconstruct the country that was
shattered in last year's massive quake.
Aristide emerged as a leading voice for Haiti's
poor and helped lead a popular revolt that forced an end to the Duvalier
family's 29-year dictatorship. He became the troubled country's first
democratically elected president, despite opposition from the army and Haiti's
elite.
After Duvalier's return, it emerged that Haitian
officials had ignored Aristide's request for a passport, preventing his return.
That passport, a diplomatic one, was delivered last month in the last days of
the administration of President Rene Preval, Aristide's one-time protege.
Duvalier now faces an investigation into
allegations of corruption and human rights abuses dating to the dictatorship
era.
It is not clear whether charges could be brought
against Aristide, whose party was accused of killing opponents and getting rich
off drug money in the final year of his government.
It would be the second return from exile for
Aristide, who is both loved and reviled. He first was ousted by a military coup
in 1991. U.S. President Bill Clinton returned him to power in 1994 following a
U.S. military intervention that forced out the military regime. Then, tens of
thousands of his supporters gathered around the National Palace to watch U.S.
Marines fly him in on a helicopter.
Aristide later fled Haiti again on Feb. 29, 2004,
leaving before dawn on a U.S. plane as rebels approached the capital. He
accused American diplomats of having kidnapped him — charges Washington denied.
In South Africa, Aristide has lived a quiet life
with his wife Mildred and two daughters in a government-guarded mansion in the
capital, Pretoria. Along with chauffeured Mercedes Benz limousines, it all was
paid for by South African taxpayers.
Aristide was offered a position as researcher at
the human sciences faculty while his wife studied at the same university's
Center for African Renaissance Studies. Neither drew a salary.
Aristide, who speaks several languages, studied
Zulu and wrote a comparative study of Haitian Creole and Zulu called Umoya
Wamagama, or The Spirit of the Word.
Associated Press writers Ben Fox in Port-au-Prince,
Haiti and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.
Copyright
2011 The Associated Press.
(AP
Photo, File)
