Haiti can be readmitted to the 15-member Caribbean Community if this week's elections in that country are deemed free and fair, the group said.

The Caribbean Community, known as Caricom, suspended Haiti's membership following the ouster of former President Jean Betrand Aristide in 2004. The group had refused to recognize Haiti's interim government.

If the elections are certified by authorities, "Caricom stands ready to readmit Haiti into the institutions of the regional integration movement," Caricom chairman Patrick Manning said late Friday after Caricom ended a two-day meeting in Trinidad.

Haiti would likely rejoin Caricom at the regional bloc's summit in July in St. Kitts, said Manning, who also expressed his willingness to attend the inauguration of the new Haitian president.

Election workers in Haiti were still counting votes on Saturday. Partial results showed former President Rene Preval was in the lead with nearly 50 percent of votes.

Source: Xinhua