ST JOHN’S, Antigua – Chairman of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) Baldwin Spencer, the prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, says the regional grouping will insist that the Organisation of American States (OAS) investigate the circumstances surrounding the controversial removal from power of Haiti’s former president, Jean Bertrand Aristide.

Spencer was reacting to a request by the United States Ambassador to the OAS, John Maisto, who urged Caricom to withdraw its request to the hemispheric body.

Maisto met with the Caricom chairman in St John’s on Wednesday, and Spencer said he reiterated the position of his heads of government colleagues that Aristide’s removal from power in February should be subject to an inquiry. The US said it facilitated a request from Aristide to get safely out of Haiti after rebels closed in on the capital Port-au-Prince in an effort to oust him from power. Spencer said the OAS should invoke Article 20 of its charter to deal with the crisis in Haiti.

“.The issue surrounding Aristide’s departure ought to be looked at and it is a principled position we are taking,”

Spencer said. “We honestly feel, at least up to now, that this matter should be ventilated and we need a forum in which that could be done and so we feel we should go the route of invoking Article 20 of the OAS Charter.”

In the meantime, David Lee, the ambassador who led a special mission to strengthen democracy in Haiti and was often critical of ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide’s government, has resigned, the OAS said yesterday.

David Lee agreed to head the mission that began in April 2002 for a limited time, according to OAS spokesman Ian Edwards, who said Lee’s resignation takes effect on May 31. A UN force is set to replace a 3,600-member multinational task force on June 1.

Lee’s deputy, Denneth Modeste, will replace Lee, Edwards said.

In November, Lee criticised Aristide’s government for not doing enough to stop violence. In March, however, Lee supported interim Prime Minister Gerard Latortue as he praised a gang leader for fanning a three-week revolt that led to Aristide’s downfall.

Since the removal of Aristide, Caricom is yet to give formal recognition to the new government of Prime Minister Gerard Latortue.

But Spencer said the 13-member grouping is not abandoning Haiti.