Basseterre, St. Kitts ? The 15-nation Caribbean Community does not plan to recognize Haiti’s new U.S.-backed interim government, senior Caribbean officials said Friday.

Several senior officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the region’s leaders made the decision by consensus on their second and final day of a summit.

They said they decided not to have formal relations with the new government because of concerns about the departure of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide on Feb. 29 and the precedent it could set.

Earlier they demanded the U.N. General Assembly investigate Aristide’s claims he was abducted at gunpoint by U.S. agents when he left as rebels threatened Haiti’s capital.

Asked if the regional bloc would recognize the new interim government, one national leader said, speaking on condition of anonymity: “Our people would not allow us to do that.”

Talks continued Friday, but officials said their minds were made up. They said they would discuss the issue again at their regular annual summit in July in Grenada.

Jamaican officials said Aristide would take permanent asylum in South Africa, but not until it has general elections next month. Since March 15 Aristide has been in temporary exile in Jamaica, despite protests from U.S. and Haitian officials.

Caribbean leaders are “still upset and uncomfortable” about Aristide’s departure, and made that clear to U.N. special envoy Reginald Dumas when he listened to their debate.

Conference officials said the 15-nation regional bloc wanted the General Assembly to investigate rather than the Security Council, where the United States or France could veto the proposal.