South Africa has not yet received any request from ousted Haitian leader Jean-Bertrand Aristide for asylum in the country, a government official said on Thursday after South Africa's fact-finding delegation met with Aristide on Wednesday.

"We have not yet received request from Aristide for asylum in South Africa," Foreign affairs spokesman Ronnie Mamoepa told Xinhua.

The spokesman said that South Africa's stance on the issue is "we agree with the African Union (AU) that his removal was unconstitutional. We urge the United Nations to launch an investigation on the issue as soon as possible."

The South African delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad has been sent to the Central African Republic to find out why and how Aristide was removed from power.

The envoys said Wednesday that they had questions about the circumstances surrounding Aristide's departure from Port-au-Princelast month under heavy US and French pressure.

The delegation said that they are "not sure" whether Aristide would go into exile in the country after talks in the Central African Republic capital of Bangui.

Aristide arrived in the former French colony on March 1 in whatwas then described as a stopover en route to exile in South Africa.

But Pahad said that "no, it's not sure" when asked whether Aristide would eventually move to South Africa.

"We discussed with him the background of what happened," said Pahad, adding that South Africa agreed with the African Union thathis removal was "unconstitutional."

Aristide claims that he remains the president of Haiti and thathe was forcibly taken from Port-au-Prince by the United States, working with France.

Central African Republic Junior Foreign Minister Guy Moskit, who also had talks with the delegation, said Aristide's eventual departure for South Africa was "a hypothesis being strongly considered."

And a source close to the Central African Republic presidency added that members of the South African delegation "said they weregoing to help him."

The 53-nation AU said in a statement on Tuesday that "the unconstitutional way by which President Aristide was removed set adangerous precedent for a duly elected person and (the AU) wishes that no action be taken to legitimize the rebel forces" in Haiti.