In a statement released Sunday, Jamaican Prime Minister P.J. Patterson said that "we are bound to question whether his resignation was truly voluntary, as it comes after the capture of sections of Haiti by armed insurgents and the failure of the international community to provide the requisite support."

"The removal of President Aristide in these circumstances sets a dangerous precedent for democratically elected governments anywhere and everywhere, as it promotes the removal of duly elected persons from office by the power of rebel forces," said Patterson, who is chairman of the Caribbean Community (Caricom).

Patterson denied that Caricom "was a party to a plan or was in consultation or had subscribed to the removal of President Aristide from office, as a prior condition."

Patterson called for a meeting of the Caricom heads of state in Jamaica on Tuesday.