Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- The 15-member Caribbean Community refused to acknowledge the Haitian interim government, the Trinidad and Tobago Express reported Wednesday.
Otherwise known as Caricom, the group made its decision regarding the embattled nation's leadership after two days of meetings in Trinidad and Tobago.Caricom leaders did say, however, they would assist relief efforts and help Brazil -- whose forces lead the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Haiti -- establish open dialogues among the warring factions.
Haiti was thrown into unrest in early 2004 when armed rebels began taking over large parts of the country. By the end of February, then-President Jean-Bertrand Aristide had succumb to their pressure amid intense fighting and left the country.
Aristide is currently in exile in South Africa. Haiti's interim government is set to hold fresh elections in 2005.
Since then, the impoverished nation has also suffered from two severe floods that killed some 5,000 people.
