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Friday, February 11, 2011
The United States warned former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide not to come back to Haiti ahead of next month's presidential election. The US says his return would distract voters already beset by crippling poverty and last year's devastating earthquake as they choose a new leader.
State Department spokesman PJ Crowley said the US has no knowledge of Aristide's travel plans, a day after the former priest's American lawyer said he picked up a diplomatic passport for his client issued by the Haitian government. Crowley stressed, however, that Aristide's sudden re-emergence would disrupt the calm needed for the March 20 vote.
"We would be concerned if former President Aristide returns to Haiti before the election," he told reporters in Washington. "It would prove to be an unfortunate distraction to the people of Haiti."
Crowley said the United States "would hate to see any action that introduces divisiveness into this election process."
There already has been plenty of division in Haiti, which suffered a fraud-ridden, disorganised first-round election in November, the results of which were confirmed only last week when the electoral council eliminated President Rene Preval's government-backed candidate, Jude Celestin.
Crowley would not say whether the United States might support Aristide's return to Haiti after the election, after the country's political stability is re-established.
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