CARICOM expresses concern over “Baby Doc’s ” return
Published:Monday | January 17, 2011 | 6:01 PM
The 15-member CARICOM grouping is expressing concern about former Haitian President Jean-Claude Baby Doc Duvalier's return from exile.
Duvalier arrived in Port-au-Prince on Sunday in the midst of ongoing political tension over recently held elections.
Chairman of CARICOM’s Community Council of Foreign Ministers, Grenada's Denneth Modeste, says the return of Baby Doc could be an unwelcome distraction.
He told the council of mainly foreign ministers that the former president had returned just when the international community is trying desperately to sustain the fragile security gains in recent years.
Duvalier has been living in exile in France since he was ousted in 1986 following massive anti-government demonstrations after his family and supporters were accused of stealing millions of dollars of state funds.
Meanwhile, human rights groups have urged the Haitian government to arrest and prosecute the former President for abuses committed during his 1971 to 1986 leadership.