Ousted Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide received a welcome reserved for head of state when he arrived in South Africa for asylum on Monday afternoon.

South African President Thabo Mbeki, Foreign Minister NkosazanaDlamini-Zuma and other senior cabinet ministers were at the Johannesburg International Airport to wait for the arrival of Aristide and his family.

Both Aristide and the South African government had said the stay would be temporary.

On behalf of the Mozambican President and the African Union (AU)Chairman Joachim Chissano, Mozambican Foreign Minister Francisco Madeira was among the crowd to welcome Aristide, who fled Haiti onFeb. 29 after an armed revolt and pressure from the United States.

The African organization had criticized "the unconstitutional way" in which Aristide was forced from power and urged its membersto help him. The AU had pledged "full support to the country that will agree to grant such asylum."

Before leaving Jamaican capital city of Kingston on Sunday, Aristide said South Africa would be his temporary home until he can return to Haiti.

Aristide fled Haiti on Feb. 29 amid a rebel advance on the capital, Port-au-Prince. He was flown aboard a US-supplied jet to the Central African Republic, where he accused the United States of forcibly removing him from office, a charge Washington denies.

He arrived in Jamaica on March 15 to reunite with his family. They stayed at a tightly secured, government-owned villa in northern Jamaica. South Africa in mid May agreed to give Aristide temporary asylum "until his personal situation normalizes" and he can return to Haiti.

An interim government has been installed and fresh elections are expected next year in Haiti.

Ronnie Mamoepa, spokesman for the South African Department of Foreign Affairs, told Xinhua earlier that Aristide would stay in Gauteng province. But he declined to specify whether in Pretoria or Johannesburg.

They are expected to live under tight security at the South African government's expense, a move that has angered opposition groups in South Africa.

The Democratic Alliance, the biggest opposition party in the country, on Sunday said hosting Aristide was a mistake.

"South Africa should have adopted a far more pragmatic approachon the matter. Haiti is so far beyond our sphere of influence, we should have left the matter to other nations," said spokesman Douglas Gibson.

"The government's time and resources would have been better spent on resolving the crises in Zimbabwe and the Sudan, and also on catering for the needs of ordinary South Africans," he said.

Gibson also questioned about the legitimacy of granting Aristide the entry into South Africa.

The 15-member Caribbean Community, which refuses to recognize Haiti's US-backed government, has called on the Washington-based Organization of American States to investigate the circumstances of Aristide's departure.

South Africa has also joined the call for the United Nations toinvestigate the circumstances surrounding Aristide's removal of power, which Pretoria and the African Union believe may have been unconstitutional.

Mbeki was the only head of state who traveled to Haiti in January to celebrate that country's bicentenary, weeks before Aristide was removed from power. The South African government alsodonated 10 million rand (1.5 million US dollars) for the celebrations, The Star reported.

At the time, government officials said Mbeki's presence had to do with "an affirmation of the dignity of black people, the African Renaissance and the African diaspora."

Source: Xinhua