Global Policy Forum

By Michael Wines

The Central African Republic, showing evident discomfort over its role in harboring Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the deposed president of Haiti, indicated Tuesday that Mr. Aristide would be leaving soon for permanent asylum elsewhere.

The republic's consul general in Johannesburg, Johann Erikson, said in a telephone interview that Mr. Aristide was "under protection" and incommunicado in Bangui, the capital, but that it was unlikely that he would remain there long. "It hasn't been sorted out yet how long he'll stay," Mr. Erikson said. "It could be a day. It could be three weeks."

He declined to say whether negotiations were under way to move Mr. Aristide to South Africa, which has signaled its willingness to consider harboring Mr. Aristide. Opposition political parties here have sharply disagreed, arguing that the government has no business giving safe haven to a leader condemned by many as a dictator.

In Bangui, Agence France-Presse quoted anonymous government officials on Tuesday as saying that Mr. Aristide, his wife, his brother-in-law and two bodyguards had been given rooms in the residence of President Franí§ois Bozize, who seized power in a coup last March.

Mr. Bozize's spokesman, Parfait M'bay, told the news service that Mr. Aristide's presence was "a source of concern" and would be discussed in a coming cabinet meeting.

The destitute republic, like Haiti once a French colony, depends heavily on foreign aid. Its decision to accommodate Mr. Aristide is at once a favor to France and the United States, which supported his resignation, and a potential black mark in the view of Mr. Aristide's critics.