PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) - Five Caribbean foreign ministers, pleased by assurances of new elections and other pledges, indicated yesterday that Haiti's US-backed interim leaders have cleared the way to resume ties frozen since the ouster of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. "We have been reassured by (interim prime minister Gerard) Latortue that in 2005 there will be elections - parliamentary, presidential and local elections - and then in February of 2006 a new president will take power," said Foreign Affairs Minister Billie Miller of Barbados. "We've been assured of clean elections, no reprisals, and that known criminals will be prosecuted." Asked if there were any sticking points, she said no. The delegation will soon make a report to the 15-member Caribbean Community, Miller said, without specifying how soon the regional bloc could decide on recognising the government. "We hope that this impasse will come to an end soon," Miller told reporters, standing beside Latortue at Port-au-Prince's airport. They shook hands and embraced. It was a marked contrast to the lack of contact during four months of frozen relations since Aristide left the country on February 29, claiming the United States had kidnapped him and perpetrated a coup against Haiti's first freely-elected president. The United States has denied the charges, but the Caribbean Community has persuaded the Organisation of American States to investigate the circumstances of Aristide's departure. Yesterday, Latortue thanked Miller but made no comment to reporters. Just last week he had characterised some of the community's conditions as "nonsense". SOURCE:JAMAICAOBSERVER.COM