U.S. cold-shoulders ‘undesirable’ Duvalier

Press, 18 February 1986, Page 7

U.S. cold-shoulders ‘undesirable’ Duvalier

NZPA-Reuter Paris The United States had declared the ousted Haitian dictator, JeanClaude Duvalier an undesirable alien and would not allow him. into the country, said the United States Embassy in Paris yesterday. An embassy spokesman said the United States had no intention of taking “Baby Doc” Duvalier off France’s hands, adding, “Under United States law Duvalier is inadmissible as an undesirable.”

Mr Duvalier, who fled to France on February 7 aboard a United States

Air Force plane, had no visa and would under no circumstances be allowed on to United States soil, the spokesman said.

The United States Government believed Mr Duvalier could pose a serious security problem because of the large number of Haitian exiles in the United States, many of whom fled their homeland to escape the 28-year dictatorship of the Duvalier family. Mr Duvalier had been warned also that the United States had an extradition treaty with Haiti. “He may well be

subject to extradition if he went to the U.S.” Earlier yesterday, Mr Duvalier’s lawyer, Sauveur Vaisse, said France had intended to fly the former President-for-life to New York but that the plan was halted at the last minute because of United States objections. “It seems that the departure for the United States was planned for today. This was the wish of the French Government but the American Government declared him (Mr Duvalier) undesirable,” Mr Vaisse said.

France allowed Mr Duvalier eight days to find permanent sanctuary, the deadline expired on Sunday. The French External Relations Ministry, which described Washington as “lead manager” in the plans to get Mr Duvalier out of Haiti, has denied trying to put the former President on an aircraft back across the Atlantic. A Ministry spokesman confirmed that no country had yet been found to take Mr Duvalier, saying: “France continues its efforts to find a country of refuge.”