MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Aristide Arrives in Africa

Former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide arrived in the Central African Republic early Monday after fleeing his country, state radio reported.

Aristide was accompanied by his wife and three other people and would stay in the country for only "a few days," the Central African Republic's state radio station said without quoting any sources.

Security guards at the airport in Bangui, the country's capital, said Aristide's plane arrived at 1:15 a.m. EST.

State radio reported that Aristide would possibly head to South Africa after spending a few days in Central African Republic, but the report could not be immediately confirmed.

Earlier in Antigua, a senior Caribbean official said the ousted leader told him during a refueling stop on the Caribbean island that he was bound

In Johannesburg, South Africa, presidential spokesman Bheki Khumalo insisted that Aristide was not coming to South Africa.

"We are still not aware that he is coming here. I would have thought by now we would have known if he was," Khumalo said.

Western diplomats in Johannesburg also said they had no indication that Aristide was heading to South Africa.

On Sunday, Aristide's plane was in Antigua for about an hour to refuel and receive some food, officials said on condition of anonymity. No one came off the jetliner and no one boarded it. Someone on the plane received the food at the aircraft's door.

Several countries including Panama and Costa Rica said they would offer exile to Aristide, who fled Haiti earlier Sunday after rebel forces threatened to attack the capital, Port-au-Prince, unless he resigned.

"We have to look at Haiti with compassion," President Mireya Moscoso told Panamanian radio. "And if Panama could help in a given moment, we would think about it."

The president added, however, that U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell had called Panama's foreign minister to say that Aristide was looking for asylum in Africa.

Costa Rica offered temporary political asylum to Aristide, but Security Secretary Rogelio Ramos said the ousted president decided to go to Africa instead.

A South African official, denying reports Aristide was flying there, said developments in Haiti "do not bode well for democracy."

"The South African Government has noted with serious concern developments in Haiti, leading to the resignation of a democratically elected President Jean Bertrand Aristide," said Ronnie Mamoepa, a spokesman for South Africa's Department of Foreign Affairs.