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Aristide plans return to Haiti, but no political postFrom Alphonso Van Marsh ![]() Ousted Haitian leader Jean-Bertrand Aristide talks during an interview in Pretoria, South Africa, Wednesday. YOUR E-MAIL ALERTSPRETORIA, South Africa (CNN) -- Former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, ousted from power in 2004 and living in South Africa, said Tuesday he wants to return to Haiti as soon as possible -- but would not take any political post. "I'm going to be back as soon as possible to keep investing in education," Aristide said in an interview with CNN from his office at South Africa University in Pretoria, where he teaches course in African renaissance. When asked when he planned to return to his homeland, Aristide did not give a date. "That means I will be back," he said. "Why should I not go back? There's no reason for that. Human rights are human rights, every single citizen has the right to stay home to work for his country if he wants." Aristide said that when he goes back to Haiti, his status would be comparable to that of former South African President Nelson Mandela, who still plays a role in South African affairs even though he holds no official post. Since Aristide -- a leftist former priest whose administration was accused of widespread corruption -- settled in South Africa, the country has supported him as Haiti's rightful ruler. South African officials have provided housing, security and a car for him and his family in Pretoria, the capital city. Last week, Haiti's electoral council declared Rene Preval the winner of the country's February 7 elections, the first held since Aristide was pushed out in 2004. Alleges U.S. behind coupRegarding allegations he has made that the United States and President Bush had a hand in his ouster, Aristide said he's not the only one who believed so. "Fourteen Caribbean states asked the United Nations to move toward an investigation regarding the coup, because they too, they saw it as a coup and they knew who was behind the coup, but the United Nations never did that," he said. A call for an investigation from the Organization of American States was also ignored by the United Nations, Aristide said. The United States has denied playing a role in pushing Aristide out, but the former president said he's not alone in his beliefs. "I'm not the only one who knows, they (OAS, Caribbean nations) know, and we know the most important thing to do" now is to work together to prevent any further coups in Haiti, he said. "We've had enough. We want to move from elections to elections, not from coup to coup," Aristide said. He noted that the United States is interested in a new relationship with Haiti, "rooted in mutual respect and democracy, but not in that violent way of removing governments."
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