Despite ongoing efforts by the White House and State Department to obstruct his return, exiled former president of Haiti, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, overthrown in a US-backed coup in 2004 and arguably still the most popular man in Haiti, is airborne and headed back to Port-au-Prince, accompanied by his wife Mildred, Hollywood star Danny Glover, Amy Goodman, co-producer and host of Democracy Now and other notable individuals.

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(photo over Haiti by Mac McKinney)


Aristide before the media (Al Jazeera)


(source)

UPDATE: ARISTIDE HAS NOW LANDED IN PORT-AU-PRINCE - AMY GOODMAN REPORTS ON MP3 HERE AND HERE

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BREAKING FROM AL JAZEERA:

Haiti's former president has arrived back home from South Africa, ending seven years in exile.

Jean-Bertrand Aristide waved aside US concerns that his homecoming might disrupt Haiti's presidential runoff scheduled for Sunday, flying to Port-au-Prince, the capital, in a charter plane with his family.

The plane touched down at Port-au-Prince airport at 9:10am (1410GMT) on Friday.

Aristide, 57, who says Washington helped engineer his ouster in 2004, insists he will not be involved in politics.

He wants, he says, to lead his foundation's efforts to improve education in the impoverished Caribbean nation devastated by last year's catastrophic earthquake.

Aristide's supporters were preparing to give him a warm welcome, and banners welcoming "Titide" - as he is fondly known by many Haitians - have been strung across the streets of the capital.

"President Aristide is a strong leader who doesn't take orders from a superpower such as the United States," said Johnny Mazart, 36, a carpenter.

"That's why they ousted him, because he listened to the Haitian people, not foreigners."

Al Jazeera's Sebastian Walker, reporting from Port-au-Prince, said it: "The plane has just touched down right behind us and a huge cheer has gone up."

The arrival of Aristide is "an incredibly significant development in a very sensitive electoral process," said our correspondent.

"Aristide has a huge influence ... and whatever he says about the elections; whether people should turn up and go and vote is going to be significant."

Aristide's ousting

Aristide became Haiti's first freely elected president in 1991, but was overthrown after seven months. Re-elected in 2000, his second term saw economic instability and violence which culminated in protests leading to his ouster in 2004.

Before Aristide headed home, Barack Obama, the US president, called his South African counterpart, Jacob Zuma, to stress the importance of the former president not returning before the poll. (FULL ARTICLE HERE)

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Earlier Info:

Despite ongoing efforts by the White House and State Department to obstruct his return, exiled former president of Haiti, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, overthrown in a US-backed coup in 2004 and arguably still the most popular man in Haiti, has taken off from South Africa, accompanied by his wife Mildred, Hollywood star and personal friend Danny Glover, world-renowned journalist Amy Goodman, co-producer and host of Democracy Now and other notables (see below).

From Haiti Libre :

At 11h15pm local time [4h15pm Haiti time], the former President
Jean-Bertrand Aristide left South Africa with his wife Mildred Trouillot Aristide, and his two daughters [Michaela, 12 and Christine 14 years]
aboard a private jet (ZS -ZBB) after 7 years of exile.

The aircraft should stop in Dakar, Senegal to refuel and then continue its flight towards Port-au-Prince.

Before leaving Aristide gave a press conference [Zulu language] at
Lanseria airport, an airport on the outskirts of Johannesburg where he
said "The great day has arrived! The day to say goodbye before returning home [...] We are delighted to return home after seven years. In Haiti also they are very happy... Their dream will be fulfilled. Together, we will continue to share this endless love".

Except unforeseen, the former President Aristide is expected to arrive
Friday in the morning at the Toussaint Louverture International Airport
in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. (Original article HERE)

Breaking from Democracy Now:

Exclusive: Aboard Aristide's Airplane Ex-Haitian Leader Returns From 7 Years In ExileIn defiance of the Obama administration, former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide is headed back to Haiti today for the first time since being ousted in a 2004 U.S.-backed coup. Hours ago, Aristide boarded a plane in South Africa bound for Port-Au-Prince. Joining him on the flight is his wife, Mildred Aristide, attorney Ira Kurzban and actor Danny Glover. Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman is also on aboard. Minutes before takeoff she filed this report (listen to MP3) and sent exclusive photos.

AMY GOODMAN: I'm Amy Goodman, the host of Democracy Now! at the Lanseria International Airport, a private airport in Johannesburg, where the South African government flight is about to take the Aristides home from South Africa--where they've been in exile for the last seven years--to Haiti. It is a momentous time.

We just went upstairs to the news conference, which was held by South African government officials and President Aristide. He spoke in Zulu, Xhosa, and he handed out an English translation for the rest of the press to the consternation of some of them. President Aristide said in Zulu:

"Dear brothers and sisters, a great day has arrived, a day to say goodbye before returning home, the day to whole-heartedly thank President Zuma and the government, former President Mbeki and his wife, our beloved Madiba and his family"--referring of course to Nelson Mandela. "Dear friends at the University of South Africa and Wits University--all of you brothers and sisters of South Africa. My family and I will never forget this long and beautiful time spent with you in the heart of Mama Africa. We saw the spirit of Ubuntu the first day we met with Minister Dlamini-Zuma in 2003 until today. Indeed, the cleverness of our ancestors is outstanding. Ubuntu is an honor to Africa and to this country. The world truly needs this philosophy. May the starts of Ubuntu shine in the sky over the entire world."

He ended again by saying, "Warm greetings dear brothers and sisters. We wish you a prosperous life and all the best. Thank you. Bye, bye."

He spoke in Swahili, in Zulu, in Afrikaans and in Tswana. He is extremely excited about returning home.

We had a private meeting with the president and his family this afternoon and the delegation that's accompanying him: Danny Glover, the actor and activist; James Early, of the Smithsonian Institution, formerly chair of the Institute for Policy Studies; and K.K. Kean, the filmmaker who has made a number of films about Haiti. It is--and the family, of course, of the Aristides. He did not want to make any political statements there. He wanted the South African government to speak before he would speak. And, he simply said that he is thrilled to be going home. He looks forward to being --- these are his words, not mine---- "a resident of Haiti, not the president" at this point, to really pursuing issues of health and education in Haiti.

Now we're in a holding area, about to get on to the plane that will take us---- we don't know exactly the itinerary at this moment--but will take us to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, where we expect to arrive sometime around noon on Friday. This is the culmination of years of effort. I mean, ever since that fateful day on February 29, 2004---- the second of two U.S.-backed coups against President Aristide. The first was in 1991, when he was ousted for three years. The second when the number two man in the U.S. embassy came to the home of the Aristides in Tabar in Haiti and they were bundled onto a jet with security and military and they were sent off to the Central American Republic. The U.S. government insisted that the Aristides went of their own free will. And, it's something they've insisted to this day because, in the last days, the U.S. government has issued warnings to the State Department that the Aristides should not come back to Haiti. That, he left of his own free will in 2004.

We don't know the itinerary at this point, we just know that we expect to land in Port-au-Prince, Haiti about noon on Friday. It's about 11 o'clock on Thursday here in South Africa. It promises to be a long nights journey into a new day. It's very interesting to watch President Aristide right now; I'm watching him speak to a South African government official right now who is wishing him well, saying that he is a part of the South African family, not just a friend. And, it's interesting because the U.S. government has put so much pressure on the South African government not to return the Aristides to Haiti. Actually, news came out earlier this week that President Obama personally called President Zuma of South Africa to implore him not to provide this jet for the Aristides to return home. But, the South African government responded in a public way and said that they would not be pressured by anyone. So, tonight, the Aristides return home to Haiti. I'm Amy Goodman for Democracy Now! in Johannesburg, South Africa. We're about to board the plane and hope to arrive in Haiti in Friday about noon.

Authors Bio:
I am a student of history, religion, exoteric and esoteric, the Humanities in general and a tempered advocate for the ultimate manifestation of peace, justice and the unity of humankind through self-realization and mutual respect, although I am not a pacifist, nor do I believe in peace at any price, which is no peace at all but only delays inevitable conflict. There are times when the world must act. Planetary consciousness is evolving, but there are many retrograde forces that would drag us back down.

I have also written one book, a combination of poetry, photography and essays entitled "Post Katrina Blues", my reflections on the Gulf Coast and New Orleans two years after Katrina struck. Go to the store at http://sanfranciscobaypress.com/ to purchase. And I also have a blog called Plutonian Mac.