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02/24/2006:

"Aristide can return, Haiti's president-elect says"

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (Reuters) - Haitian president-elect Rene Preval said on Wednesday that exiled president Jean-Bertrand Aristide, his former mentor, was entitled under Haiti's constitution to return to the Caribbean country.

But Preval, who has been told directly by Washington that it opposes the deposed president's return, said the decision should be made by Aristide himself.

The future of Aristide, a hero to the poor ousted by an armed revolt two years ago who now says he wants to go home as soon as he can, is a critical issue for Preval as he attempts to stabilize his violent nation.

Washington, which backed the departure of the firebrand former Roman Catholic priest from Haiti in February 2004, repeated its opposition to his return on Wednesday.

State Department spokesman Adam Ereli told reporters in Washington: "It is probably not a good idea, it does not serve a useful purpose."
news.yahoo.com