Nations shun new Haiti leader

Haiti's new PM unveiled a new cabinet excluding all established politicians and anyone linked to Mr Aristide.

But the omission of any member of the former ruling Lavalas party in Gerard Latortue's new government sparked an angry response from his predecessor.

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Venezuela has offered refuge to Mr Aristide, who is currently in Jamaica.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said: "We don't recognise Haiti's new government. The president of Haiti is named Jean-Bertrand Aristide and he was elected by his people."

Haiti's Caribbean neighbour, Jamaica, also said it would not recognise Mr Latortue's authority, at least until after a regional summit of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) scheduled for next week.

The moves have threatened to create new rifts between the countries and the US, which criticised Jamaica's sheltering of Mr Aristide.

None of the 13 cabinet members appointed by Mr Latortue has direct affiliations with any political party.

The list includes a retired head of the Haitian army, an economist who once worked for the United Nations, and former civil servants.

Haiti's new government has been designed, said Mr Latortue, to establish the foundations of democracy.

But his predecessor, Yvon Neptune, lambasted the absence of members of the former administration, saying it risked further polarising the country.

Mr Latortue defended his position in an interview with Reuters news agency.

"Had there been an organisation that sponsored a Lavalas member, I would have been happy. But there weren't any," he said.