South Africa would “have no problem” with granting asylum to ousted Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, but no formal request has been received, the government said on Monday.
“I am not aware of any formal request, and therefore we have made no formal decision,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Aziz Pahad told reporters in Pretoria.
“If we can help, we will help,” he added. “In principle, we have no problem.”
Pahad said a final decision, based on a formal request, would be made by the Cabinet. It would be made only after considering a wide range of viewpoints, including those of the Caribbean regional organisation Caricom and Aristide himself.
The deputy minister believed there may have been informal talks on granting Aristide asylum in South Africa. The countries’ foreign ministers have been in contact to discuss the situation in Haiti in general.
“Whether they are now specifically discussing the coming of Aristide to South Africa, I would not know. At least, it is not taking place with me.”
Pahad rejected claims that South Africa balked at allowing Aristide into the country in the middle of his trip, causing him to head for the Central African Republic instead.
“I can categorically state there was no way we could balk when he was in the air. Why would we ever do such a thing?”
He reiterated South Africa’s wish for a peaceful, long-lasting solution to Haiti’s problems to be found with the help of organisations like Caricom.
Aristide resigned on Sunday and flew to the Central African Republic after a months-long uprising against his rule.
French news agency AFP earlier reported that an official of the Central African Republic’s state protocol department expected Aristide to travel on to South Africa where he hoped to be granted exile.
Meanwhile, France and the United States began sending troops to join a multinational security force authorised by the United Nations Security Council to restore order in Haiti.
Regarding those who rebelled against Aristide, Pahad said: “We do not believe as South Africa that those running around with guns, who have been described by Amnesty International and the Caricom chairman as basically criminals, should have the capacity to cause the departure of the president of Haiti without transitional political solutions being put into place.
“We hope the international community will not allow those elements, who have a notorious human rights violations record, to have any say in the transitional system of Haiti.”
South Africa had a vested interest in seeing Haiti, the world’s first black republic, succeed, Pahad added.
“We see [Haiti] as an example of what can go wrong and what must happen to ensure that it does not continue to remain the poorest country in the world.”
Opposition parties have condemned the idea of Aristide being granted asylum in South Africa.
“We believe that it would not be in the best interests of South Africa as a democratic country to give such a person asylum,” said African Christian Democratic Party president Kenneth Meshoe. “We should not be seen to be defending human rights abuses.”
National Action co-leader Cassie Aucamp said South Africa would be aligning itself with “the Gadaffis and the Castros” of the world by welcoming Aristide.
According to Freedom Front Plus leader Pieter Mulder, the situation in Haiti reflected badly on President Thabo Mbeki, who Mulder said had given Aristide credibility by officially visiting Haiti recently to mark that country’s 200th independence celebrations.
“In future it will be better if the South African government use normal human rights criteria in choosing their friends and their official visits and let their judgement not be polluted with pro-black or anti-white sentiments and subjectivity.”
For its part, the Democratic Alliance said South Africa should not become a safe haven for dictators. — Sapa
Martyr in search of asylum
SA ‘unaware’ of Aristide asylum
US goes in as Aristide flees Haiti