President Jean-Bertrand Aristide said Saturday that members of paramilitary groups are still hiding with their weapons, waiting for an opportunity to spread terror.
Underscoring Aristide's worries about the task of disarming the ousted military's supporters, U.S.-led forces found a cache of mortars, grenades and ammunition stashed in a tunnel, an official said.Aristide, however, said U.S. troops had greatly improved security since they arrived last month to restore democracy to the impoverished nation.
"What we have now is better than what we had before," Aristide told journalists at a hastily called news conference. "Although we are not reaching the end of the process yet, we are delighted."
Aristide spoke to reporters in the ground-floor atrium of his two-story house north of the capital. The simply furnished house was ransacked after military leaders ousted the president in a September 1991 coup.
"I'm happy to be back in my house, happy to forget about what they did," said Aristide, who was dressed in suit and tie.
He urged Haitians to embrace democracy and reconciliation and support Parliament's efforts to re-establish the legal system. "In order to build democracy we must respect the laws," he said.
Aristide, who was restored by U.S. troops on Oct. 15, only Friday left the National Palace and returned to his refurbished home in a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter.
Journalists underwent a rigorous security check by Haitian officials and U.S. soldiers before entering Aristide's home. U.S. Army-trained dogs sniffed electronic equipment for explosives.
The weapons stash discovered late Friday afternoon included hand and rifle-launched grenades, tear gas cartridges and 16 mortar launchers with ammunition, said Paul Browne, deputy director of the International Police Monitoring Force.
There were also 375 rounds of 9mm pistol ammunition, and 1,370 rounds of ammunition for pre-Vietnam War M14 rifles, he said.