(15 Jan 2010)
1. Former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide sitting down in news conference next to his wife, Mildred Aristide
2. Mid shot, Jean-Bertrand Aristide and Mildred Aristide
3. Close shot, Jean-Bertrand Aristide
4. Hand writing in note pad
5. SOUNDBITE: (English) Jean-Bertrand Aristide, former Haitian President
"Many people remain buried under tons of rubble and debris, waiting to be rescued. When we think of their suffering we feel deeply and profoundly that we should be there, in Haiti, with them, trying our best to prevent death."
6. Cutaway, photographers
7. SOUNDBITE: (English) Jean-Bertrand Aristide, former Haitian President
"We are concerned, we are ready to leave today, tomorrow, at any time, to join the people of Haiti, to share in their suffering, help rebuild the country. Moving from misery to poverty with dignity."
8. Wide shot, Aristide at news conference with Mildred Aristide on left and Saul Kgomotso Molobi, South African foreign affairs ministry official, on right
9. SOUNDBITE: (English) Jean-Bertrand Aristide, former Haitian President
"To be with our sisters and brothers in Haiti. We share the anguish of all Haitians in the diaspora who are desperate to reach family and loved ones."
10. Various, Jean-Bertrand Aristide and Mildred Aristide exiting news conference
STORYLINE:
Exiled former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide said on Friday he was ready to return to his quake-devastated country, but it was not clear when or how.
The Red Cross estimates that up to 50-thousand people were killed in the 7.0-magnitude quake, which hit Haiti late on Tuesday afternoon local time, and thousands are still missing.
Aristide, appearing with his wife in front of reporters at an airport hotel in Johannesburg, spoke of Haitians waiting to be rescued from the rubble of Tuesday''s quake.
"We feel deeply and profoundly that we should be there, in Haiti, with them, trying our best to prevent death", said Aristide, who has been exiled in South Africa since being ousted in a 2004 rebellion.
He said friends were ready to give him a plane to go back with emergency supplies.
His wife Mildred sat next to him, eyes downcast, twisting a handkerchief.
Both dabbed at their eyes as they left a conference room following Aristide''s brief statement.
Aristide refused to take questions.
Saul Kgomotso Molobi, a South African foreign affairs ministry official who had accompanied the former priest to the briefing, said South Africa knew of no plans for Aristide to return and could not answer questions about what arrangements would have to be made.
Aristide became popular as a priest in the Haitian shanty town of La Saline, and was elected president in 1990.
He was ousted in a military coup the following year, then US troops restored him to power in 1994.
After stepping down, he was re-elected in 2000 but was ousted again in a bloody 2004 rebellion amid charges that he broke promises to help the poor, allowed drug-fuelled corruption and masterminded assaults on opponents.
Since he was flown to South Africa on a US plane, he has rarely spoken in public, though he released a statement earlier this week expressing solidarity with Haitians in the wake of the quake.
At home, Haitian protesters have periodically called for Aristide''s return over the years.
In speeches relayed to supporters in Haiti from South Africa, Aristide has hinted at returning, but said he merely wants to be a teacher.
Aristide and his wife live with their two daughters in a government villa in Pretoria, South Africa''s capital, just north of Johannesburg.
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