'Baby Doc' back in Haiti

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP):

Haitian national television says former dictator Jean-Claude 'Baby Doc' Duvalier has returned to the country.

The stunning development caught the nation off-guard in a moment of political crisis.

Duvalier landed on an Air France plane around 5:50 p.m. local time yesterday.

Wearing a dark suit and blue tie, he was greeted at the airport with hugs from supporters before being taken into an immigration office before customs.

Duvalier fled into exile during a 1986 popular rebellion and has been living in Paris.

He assumed the presidency at the age of 19 from his father François Duvalier (Papa Doc).

Former Jamaican Prime Minister Edward Seaga, in his autobiography, describes Baby Doc as "a frivolous young man caring little for political life".

"He left much of the running of the country to his mother while he played the role of playboy," Seaga wrote, claiming that the Jamaican Government secretly played a central role in persuading the president to flee Haiti.

Seaga said then United States Secretary of State George Schultz wrote to him on February 15, 1986 saying: "Dear Mr Prime Minister, I want to thank you personally for the initiative you took to send a special emissary to the Duvaliers to convince them that it was in their and the Haitian people's interest to avoid further bloodshed and repression.

"Your actions contributed significantly to a successful and more peaceful transition. Please accept my sincere appreciation for your efforts and those of your special emissary, Dr (Neville) Gallimore," the letter read.