Haiti electoral council speaks out

The head of Haiti's electoral council, Ernst Mirville, has spoken out against plans by the president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, to create a new body to oversee elections.

Mr Mirville warned of terrible consequences if the current provisional electoral council were disbanded.

He did not elaborate.

On Friday, Mr Aristide said he would form a new council, with or without opposition participation.

The opposition has refused to recognise Mr Aristide, after boycotting the elections in November.

Correspondents say the dispute threatens to overshadow the new presidency, two weeks after Mr Aristide took office promising to alleviate poverty and create thousands of new jobs.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service