AFRICAN LEADER'S ARRIVAL RARE BREAK IN AIRPORT SECRECY.

Byline: Jesse Hiestand Staff Writer

VAN NUYS - The arrival Tuesday of an African president at Van Nuys Airport was unusual only in one regard: It was announced publicly.

Dignitaries like Central African Republic President Ange-Felix Patasse regularly use the airport because its privacy and security allows them to whisk in and out of Los Angeles discreetly, airport officials said. Politicians, both foreign and domestic, including some heads of state join a long list of celebrities, executives and high rollers who make Van Nuys Airport a hub for VIPs.

``There's many times we don't even know - they just slip off the airplane and into the car and there's no knowledge on our part of who's on board,'' said Ken Curry, vice president and general manager of Petersen Aviation, one of the leading charter services.

Since security is the name of the game, Curry can't reveal his clients but says his company has hosted flights by heads of state from England and countries in the Mediterranean region.

``It's a lot less rare than you'd think,'' Curry said. ``That's one of the reasons why they use private business jets - to travel in and out without any great fanfare and a great deal of security.''

In most cases, airport staff are also unaware of the newsmakers on their tarmac.

``Unless the Secret Service warns us, we don't get involved and won't know who's here,'' said airport spokeswoman Stacy Geere.

President Clinton once used Van Nuys Airport when he was president-elect and again when in office, arriving via the Marine One helicopter, Geere said. In

Patasse's case, the arrival was heralded by a public relations agency eager to promote his five-day visit to the Southland, where he hopes to find investors to develop his country's riches of oil, diamonds and timber.

The democratically elected president plans to tour medical and educational institutions, including Valley College on Thursday.

A luncheon sponsored by the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce will be held in his honor today.

Patasse touched down at Van Nuys Airport about 6:15 p.m. on a chartered Gulfstream II from New York. He was greeted by embassy and political representatives as well as numerous Secret Service agents and a California Highway Patrol escort.

``We have brought the sun from Central Africa but we see you already have your own, so we'll exchange the warmth of our sun for yours,'' Patasse said.

The Central African Republic, covering an area about twice the size of New Mexico, is a former French colony that finally realized its independence in 1960. A series of brutal regimes and coups followed. In 1991 the country became a multiparty state and two years later Patasse, then prime minister, was elected president.

There were three military mutinies in 1996 and 1997, including one crushed with the help of French soldiers.

Last year, the U.S. State Department warned citizens not to travel to the country, citing the high level of crime and highway banditry outside the capital of Bangui.