The South African Government will continue to seek clarity on the manner in which deposed Haitian leader Jean-Bertrand Aristide left his country, says Deputy President Jacob Zuma.

 The Deputy President addressed the Presidential Press Corps in Pretoria today and said government could not support situations whereby democratically elected leaders were ousted at the whim of those who failed to emerge victorious in electoral processes. "We believe it will be a mistake for the world to accept a situation where a democratically elected government is overthrown by people because they don't agree with it, when they could not defeat it," he explained. He added that government's concern was that the world had reached a stage where such practices could not be tolerated.

 Deputy President Zuma's statement comes after Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini- Zuma expressed government's concerns on the issue, last week, calling for a probe into the manner in which the former Catholic priest left Haiti. She said suggestions that President Aristide may have been forced out of office, if true, would have serious consequences and ramifications for the respect of the rule of law and democracy in the world. "The international community must not be seen to be wavering in its commitment to democracy and the respect for the rule of law, particularly in the face of anti-democratic forces," she said.

 Deputy President Zuma said government would continue to constantly engage the regional Caribbean Community (Caricom), the United Nations (UN) and the African Union (AU) on international issues including Haiti. He reiterated that the issue of granting Mr Aristide asylum did not arise since there was no formal request for such an action. Mr Aristide now lives in the Central African Republic since he left Haiti more than a week ago.