Duvalier’s requests for asylum rejected

Press, 7 February 1986, Page 6

Duvalier’s requests for asylum rejected

NZPA-Reuter Port-au-Prince The Haitian Government has strongly denied reports from three countries that the President-for-Life, Jean-Claude Duvalier, had sought residence in Western Europe to escape popular unrest at home.

An Information Ministry spokesman, described as "nonsense” reports that Mr Duvalier had asked for political asylum in Greece, Switzerland and Spain.

In Athens a Government spokesman said that Mr Duvalier had asked for political asylum and permanent residence in Greece but the Government had rejected him. The spokesman said the request was made to the Greek Embassy in Caracas Venezuela, and submitted to the Greek Foreign Ministry. In Berne, a Swiss Government spokesman said Mr Duvalier had asked for permission to enter Switzerland with his family and about 50 other people but the request had been rejected. The spokesman said Ministers had debated Mr Duvalier’s request in a

telephone conference, rejected it, and then imposed a ban on his entering the country. No reason was given for turning Mr Duvalier away. The spokesman said the request had been made by a personal representative of Mr Duvalier’s in Geneva who had indicated that the President wanted to stay in Switzerland.

In Madrid the Foreign Ministry said Spain had also rejected a request for political asylum by Mr Duvalier. A spokesman said the request had been made at the Spanish Embassy in a European country, which he declined to name.

Diplomats in Haiti said the Greek and Swiss announcements gave credence to a theory that has never been confirmed that Mr Duvalier had tried to flee Haiti last week, but for unexplained reasons returned to his palace. According to the theory, Mr Duvalier boarded a special DCIO airliner at Port-au-Prince airport on Friday and was seen by several people. But he had later disembarked unnoticed and returned to the palace. A few hours later a

White House spokesman, Larry Speakes, announced that Mr Duvalier had been toppled and fled.

When Mr Duvalier emerged in public in Port-au-Prince, the United States Government retracted its statement.

Eye-witnesses said an unscheduled DCIO had taken off on Friday and many Haitians believe some of Mr Duvalier’s possessions were on board. The President denied trying to leave, saying he was in the palace on Friday discussing the imposition of a state of siege, which was announced on Saturday. Mr Duvalier succeeded his father, “Papa Doc” who died in 1971. Anti - Government demonstrations, which began in November, 1985, for the first time in more than 30 years, intensified over the last two weeks. The unrest culminated with a 30-day state of siege being imposed on Saturday. The atmosphere, never one of widespread uprising, gradually returned to normal in the bustling capital, Port-au-Prince. There was no sign of unrest yesterday and no fresh reports of incidents

from outlying provincial towns, where trouble first erupted last week. Foreign observers saw that as a victory for Mr Duvalier but said it was probably only a shortlived one.

Soldiers combing the shopping area by the harbour street by street, tried to enforce a Government decree ordering all stores to reopen.

But reporters who toured the area in the afternoon found that about 50 per cent of the shops remained closed, in an apparent challenge to repeated Government calls “to do business as usual.”

Most diplomats and residents willing to talk to foreigners agreed that the 28-year-old Duvalier dynasty would be severely tested during next weeks’s carnival when revellers could easily turn into violent anti-Govemment protesters. Annual carnival festivities were to begin on Monday and go on for three days. Up to 500,000 people were expected to cram the narrow streets of the Port-au-Prince city centre and march past the white painted presidential palace.