POLITICS

The exiled former President of Haiti, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, has said that he was forced to leave his country.

In interviews with US television and news agencies, he said he had been the victim of a "coup d'etat". He said he had signed documents relinquishing power because of fears that violence would erupt if he did not comply with the demands of US agents. But he repeatedly refused to answer direct questions about whether he had been kidnapped. Earlier, friends of Mr. Aristide in the US had alleged that the former president was abducted by American agents - allegations described by US Secretary of State Colin Powell as "absolutely baseless, absurd". Mr. Aristide is now in the Central African Republic with his wife and children after leaving Haiti on Sunday on a US plane, a day ahead of the entry of rebels into the capital Port-au-Prince. The CAR Foreign Minister, Charles Wenezoui, has said that the former Haitian leader is not a prisoner, but a free man.

'Thousands may get killed'

In an interview with CNN television, Mr. Aristide said he had been in his palace in Port-au-Prince when American agents arrived to take him to the airport. He did not claim expressly that he had been kidnapped, but he said he had signed his resignation documents because he was worried that violence would erupt if he did not do as he was being asked. "I finally realised it was true, we were going to have bloodshed," said Mr. Aristide. "And when I asked how many people may get killed, they said thousands may get killed." He claimed he was unaware of where he and his family were being flown to. "We spent 20 hours in that plane without knowing where we were going, without having the right to contact our people," he said. Luis Moreno, the deputy chief of mission at the US embassy in Port-au-Prince, said six US security guards had been present at the departure and that nothing had been done to coerce the president into leaving. "At no time did anyone threaten him or coerce him, it was all very courteous and polite," Mr. Moreno said. Mr. Powell insisted: "He was not kidnapped. We did not force him onto the airplane. He went onto the airplane willingly. And that's the truth." The BBC's Justin Webb in Washington says Mr. Aristide's supporters in America, including the Democratic party activist the Reverend Jesse Jackson, are outraged. They are calling for an inquiry into whether the US Central Intelligence Agency had a role in the rebellion which led to the downfall of Mr. Aristide and his democratically elected government.

International force

Photo: Us Marines in Haiti

Thousands greeted the rebels as they entered Port-au-Prince on Monday, chanting "freedom" and the name of their leader, Guy Phillipe. But there were also reports of reprisal killings of pro-Aristide militiamen. An advance guard of American marines and French soldiers has arrived at Port-au-Prince to try to restore order. The troops are part of an international force authorised by the United Nations. The US has pledged 1,500 to 2,000 troops to serve in the force, which is expected to number less than 5,000. Mr Philippe, a former army officer, said he wanted to work with the local police force and the international troops to restore security. The US state department has begun working on the creation of a "council of elders" including Mr Aristide's interim successor, Chief Justice Boniface Alexandre, to prepare for new elections and regroup the police force. Colin Granderson, the secretary-general of the Caribbean community, Caricom, told the BBC that its members were very unhappy about the developments in Haiti - which had come as it tried to negotiate a power-sharing deal. Speaking ahead of a Caricom summit on Tuesday in Jamaica, Mr. Granderson said the removal of Mr. Aristide had set a dangerous precedent. Haiti, he added, had already suffered so many coups and it might have been best to avoid another. BBCWorldNews.