Leaders of the 15-nation Caribbean Community have rejected Haiti's interim government.

CARICOM made the move Saturday in response to interim Prime Minister Gerard Latortue's reference last week to Haitian rebels as "freedom fighters." The organization said "no action should be taken to legitimize the rebel forces."

Caricom also repeated calls for a U.N. investigation into the departure of ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

Last week, Mr. Latortue suspended Haiti's participation in CARICOM and recalled Haiti's ambassador to Jamaica to protest Mr. Aristide's arrival in Jamaica.

Nearly a month ago, Mr. Aristide resigned and flew to the Central African Republic, where he stayed in temporary exile until heading to Jamaica. He says the United States removed him from power in what amounted to a coup d'etat. The United States has strongly denied the charges.

Meanwhile, Haitian police collected a handful of weapons from Aristide loyalists in Port-au-Prince's Saline neighborhood Saturday. Only a few dozen weapons have been turned in by Aristide supporters and opponents, despite urgings from a multinational force sent to keep the peace.

On Friday, Haiti's justice minister said he would bar 37 members of Mr. Aristide's former government from leaving the country to ensure they are available for probes into alleged crimes committed by the government. Among the officials barred from leaving Haiti are former Prime Minister Yvon Neptune, ex-Police Chief Jocelyn Pierre, and former Central Bank head Venel Joseph.

Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.