A French lawyer of Haiti's ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide said Wednesday that he will sue the French ambassador to Haiti for kidnapping, French international radio reported Wednesday.

"The administration of (George) Bush wanted to get rid of Aristide in Haiti ... and France gave its help under some conditions against the international law," French lawyer Gilbert Collard told the state-run radio station.

"President Aristide would like sue under the law the person whomade his kidnapping -- that is to say, the French ambassador in Haiti," he said.

Aristide fled Haiti on February 29 and was taken on by the Central African Republic (CAR) on March 1. Since he was there, he said he was a victim of a "coup d'etat."

Both Haiti and the CAR are former French colonies.

The French foreign ministry said on Tuesday that Aristide had formally resigned as president, and his resignation letter was acted.

"The foreign ministry is to explain to us that a democratically-elected president of a free country can resign outside all constitutional procedures, during the night while surrounded by armed men and that it is called a constitutional resignation," thelawyer said, adding "I call that a kidnapping."

Collard's remarks came coincidentally with those of US lawyer Ira Kurzban, who appealed to US Secretary of State Colin Powell onTuesday to "investigate and prosecute all persons who were involved in the kidnapping of President Aristide" and his wife Mildred, who holds US citizenship.

In a statement released Tuesday in Addis Ababa, the 53-nation African Union endorsed Aristide's claim that he was removed by "unconstitutional" means and expressed concern that it "set a dangerous precedent for a duly elected person."