Dominicans refuse to extradite Haitian police accused of plotting coup
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) -- Dominican officials on
Tuesday rejected Haiti's request to extradite seven high-ranking Haitian
police
officials accused of plotting a coup.
The announcement came as two other Haitian officers sought asylum in the
Dominican Embassy in Haiti, Dominican Foreign Minister Hugo Tolentino Dipp
said.
"We are looking for a way out that will let the Haitians live here or go
to a third
country," Tolentino said after meeting with his Haitian counterpart, Fritz
Longchamps, and Dominican President Hipolito Mejia.
The Dominican Republic and Haiti share the Caribbean island of Hispaniola.
Last
week, seven police officers arrived legally in a Dominican border town
and asked
officials there for protection. They have been detained in the Dominican
Republic
since.
Some of the seven Haitians have said they want asylum in Ecuador, where
they
were trained, Dominican officials say.
Tensions in Haiti have mounted ahead of November 26 presidential elections
expected to return former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to power.
Major opposition parties are boycotting the contest, alleging that legislative
and
local elections earlier this year were rigged to favor Aristide candidates,
who
won more than 80 percent of the contested posts. Aristide's Lavalas Family
party
has denied those allegations.
Last week, the Haitian government said it was investigating a coup allegedly
planned by members of the police force. Aristide created the force to replace
the
army that ousted him in a 1991 coup. U.S. troops invaded to chase out the
soldiers three years later.
Copyright 2000 The Associated Press.