Haiti's Aristide woos Caricom leaders

The Haitian president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, has attended a summit of Caribbean leaders to discuss full Haitian membership of the regional trade bloc, Caricom.

Mr Aristide, who took office earlier this month, said he briefed his counterparts on efforts towards resolving a dispute with the opposition which has refused to recognise his mandate.

The opposition boycotted presidential voting in November and has called into question the election of a number of senators last year. Reports from Haiti say the senators, who are all members of Mr Aristide's Lavalas Family party, have offered to stand down temporarily while a solution is found. Correspondents say full Haitian membership of Caricom would be a welcome boost for Mr Aristide, who has been threatened with international isolation until the electoral crisis is resolved.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service