Jean-Bertrand Aristide

Aristide says he is ready to return to Haiti

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• published: 30 Jul 2015
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SHOTLIST 1. Wide shot interview with ousted Haitian leader Jean-Bertrand Aristide 2. Various shots of journalists 3. Wide shot interview 4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Jean-Bertrand Aristide, Former Haitian president: "The huge majority of the Haitian people, Lavalas (Aristide's Family party), they wanted me to be back. They voted for my return, because this is part of their dignity. When a people voted for a president, they expressed a will and they expect people to respect their votes, which is part of their dignity. So by voting for President Preval, Lavalas expect that the return will be the clear expression of their dignity which has to be respected. The dignity of the people is linked to the will and the votes." 5. Wide shot Aristide being interviewed 6. SOUNDBITE: (English) Jean-Bertrand Aristide, Former Haitian president: "Talking about the world, freedom and democracy is linked to the respect for human rights. I have the right to be back" 7. Wide shot interview STORYLINE Ousted Haitian leader Jean-Bertrand Aristide is ready to return to his country but said the timing was up to his country's president-elect and other leaders. In an interview with international news agencies on Wednesday, Aristide said the recent win of Rene Preval in Haitian elections, showed Haitians wanted him back. "The huge majority of the Haitian people, Lavalas (Aristide's Family party), they wanted me to be back. They voted for my return, because this is part of their dignity," he said. Aristide has been a "guest" of the South African government since he was ousted in February 2004. Aristide and Preval hold similar views about ending the subjugation of Haiti's poor black majority by a lighter skinned elite. In the interview, Aristide likened Haiti's situation to South Africa's under the now-toppled apartheid system. Aristide nurtured Preval's career, but the two men have subsequently fallen out. The former leader insisted he would play no role in politics on his return, saying he would return to teaching and concentrate on much-needed education in Haiti, where more than 80 percent of the population is illiterate. He also called for the release of political prisoners such as his former prime minister Yvon Neptune. Hundreds of leaders and supporters of his Lavalas Family party have been jailed without charge by a US-backed government. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/a05841f05097c6859904abe7da104de5 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork