Commentary:In Venezuela, that country's President, Hugo Chávez, was widely and incorrectly reported to have resigned amid massive press disinformation and cover-ups.
In Haiti, this AFP report describes not a resignation, but a U.S. coup.
Critical is that Aristide's voice is heard and heard soon.
=Hal C.= |
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U.S. troops
'made Aristide leave'
Agence France-Presse
March 1, 2004
HAITIAN leader Jean Bertrand Aristide was taken away from his home by U.S. soldiers, it was claimed today.
A man who said he was a caretaker for the now exiled president told France's RTL radio station the troops forced Aristide out.
"The American army came to take him away at two in the morning," the man said. "The Americans forced him out with weapons. It was American soldiers. They came with a helicopter and they took the security guards. (Aristide) was not happy. He did not want to be taken away. He did not want to leave. He was not able to fight against the Americans."
The RTL journalist who carried out the interview described the man as a "frightened old man, crouched in a corner" who said he was the "caretaker of the residence".
Aristide fled Haiti today in the face of an armed revolt. The United States has ordered Marines to the Caribbean state to help restore order.
Published by
Agence France-Presse
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Aristide flees after a
shove from the U.S.
by Christopher Marquis, The New York Times
March 1, 2004
WASHINGTON, Feb. 29 -- Jean-Bertrand Aristide's hold on the presidency of Haiti shattered Saturday night when he made a last-minute plea to the American ambassador that set off late-night phone calls to Washington, officials said on Sunday. By dawn, he was on a plane departing for his second exile, with no final destination in mind, they said.
Shortly after dawn, an American 757 dispatched by the Pentagon carried Mr. Aristide, his wife and a small security detail on their way to the Central African Republic. [He arrived there early Monday morning, Agence France-Presse reported.]
In a sign of his rapidly sliding fortunes, Mr. Aristide was denied exile in South Africa, his preference, because that country's president, Thabo Mbeki, did not want to provoke a political controversy at home, said a senior State Department official. Mr. Aristide is eventually expected to move to another country.
He made the decision to give up power on Saturday evening, hours after the White House in a statement questioned his fitness to rule.
Mr. Aristide, signaling a disconnection from the violence engulfing his country and the appeals from world leaders to step aside, meekly asked the American ambassador in Haiti through an aide whether his resignation would help the country.
"It was as if he was the last guy in the world to figure out that the country would be better off were he to relinquish power," the official said.
The final stage of Mr. Aristide's rule opened when the White House reacted strongly to the report of an attack on Friday on a Haitian Coast Guard installation by a pro-Aristide mob. After a firefight at the Killick base, five miles from the main port, the Haitian Coast Guard workers were forced to take to boats and flee the site, the official said. That incident persuaded White House officials that Mr. Aristide and his armed loyalists sought to shut down the process by which refugees were being intercepted by the United States Coast Guard and returned home.
In the past, Mr. Aristide used the threat of a refugee exodus to keep his American critics in check.
"These guys had to fight for their lives," the official said of the Coast Guard employees, whom he praised as heroes. "They had to get out to sea. It was a clear effort to shut down the repatriation. Aristide wanted to hold the immigration card in his hand."
By Saturday evening, the White House hardened its position, insisting in its statement that Haiti's crisis "is largely of Mr. Aristide's making."
That same evening, between 8 and 9, Mr. Aristide contacted the American ambassador to Haiti, James B. Foley, through an intermediary, the official said. The ambassador, who had been working the phones throughout the three-week crisis, heard something new, by this account.
Mr. Aristide wanted to know three things from Mr. Foley: what did he think was the best way to avoid bloodshed, what new security arrangements could be put in place for Haiti, and what were the choices of places that Mr. Aristide could go to in exile, the official said.
Mr. Foley was taken aback by the questions, which the official, who has no affection for Mr. Aristide, nevertheless found "poignant."
Mr. Foley said he would call back with an answer, and he notified Secretary of State Colin L. Powell and other superiors of the progress. The ambassador later called back and spoke to President Aristide, who was soft-spoken and polite as usual. The American reply was: "Pick your destination; it's up to you."
Mr. Aristide asked for time to confer with his wife, Mildred Trouillot, a Haitian American. After an hour, he called Mr. Foley back. Shortly after midnight, Secretary Powell got the call, "He's ready to move tonight."
The news made its way to Condoleezza Rice, the national security adviser, who woke President Bush sometime after 1:30 a.m. Sunday, and told him that Mr. Aristide would resign, according to a senior administration official. Mr. Bush then called Donald H. Rumsfeld, the defense secretary, and gave him authorization to send in the Marines.
The Pentagon dispatched the 757 to Port-au-Prince, the Haitian capital, and Mr. Aristide and his small circle found their own way to the airport in the darkened streets. He left behind a letter of resignation and boarded the plane.
Throughout the night, Secretary Powell and his aides worked the phones trying to obtain Mr. Aristide a refuge. When his plane took off, at about 6:45 a.m., officials had yet to receive the approval that was expected from Mr. Mbeki. When a refusal came instead, administration officials pursued options in Central America, Europe and Africa before settling on the Central African Republic.
By the time Mr. Aristide's plane had refueled in Antigua, his destination was set, the official said.
As the dust settles, the administration is calculating that a modest show of force by the Marines will prompt the armed insurgents to lay down their weapons and disappear into the civilian population. "There's a sense that the political fighting will stop," said one State Department official.
American officials said they planned to work with the United Nations and the Caribbean Community to restore the civil life of Haiti.
Published by
The New York Times
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Commentary:U.S. Marines are in charge in Haiti. The former President is gone, spirited away by U.S. forces against his will. And the last word from the now-fallen government was that the U.S. was backing the opposition.
Yes, it's another U.S.-backed coup -- and Randy E. of Durham NC is the winner in this round of our overt 'n covert contest.
If you haven't entered yet, remember, the next round is always underway before you know it ...
=H&HH= |
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U.S. sends Marines in bid to quell chaos in Haitian capital
by Susan Milligan and
Steven Dudley, The Boston Globe
March 1, 2004
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- Embattled Haitian leader Jean-Bertrand Aristide resigned the presidency yesterday and fled his troubled country, giving in to heavy pressure from the United States, domestic political opponents, and armed rebels who threatened to storm the capital if he remained in power.
President Bush dispatched U.S. Marines to help secure the chaotic capital, which exploded with anger, gunfire, and looting after residents learned of Aristide's clandestine departure early yesterday from the Port-au-Prince airport. Haitian Chief Justice Boniface Alexandre, under the terms of the national constitution, quickly was sworn in to replace Aristide, who was headed to an undisclosed location outside the country. The first Marines began arriving about 9 last night.
United Nations diplomats in New York said members of the Security Council had reached an agreement to send an international force to restore order, and voted unanimously last night to authorize a multinational force to remain in Haiti for up to three months.
"President Aristide has taken the difficult decision to give his resignation because he didn't want a bloodbath in the country," said Prime Minister Yvon Neptune, who said he will retain his position in the transitional government. As he spoke, looters plundered shops and banks, fired guns, and set fire to two radio stations sympathetic to Aristide's political opponents. Two dead bodies were seen on the winding road leading down the hill from Neptune's official residence, where he introduced the new president. Other bodies were strewn throughout the capital; some of the people had been hacked to death as a violent tit-for-tat began between the warring sides.
"I should confess to you sincerely that the task will not be easy for me," said Alexandre, looking startled about his new role as chief of state as he read from a statement written in longhand. "Politics is not my best asset. I count on you, the Haitian people, to help me build a new Haiti."
But questions lingered over whether Aristide left office voluntarily. Ira Kurzban, Aristide's Miami- based lawyer, said yesterday that the 50-year-old Haitian leader was "kidnapped" by U.S. troops and taken forcibly from the National Palace. Kurzban said he was not able to contact Aristide and feared for his safety.
The Washington Post quoted U.S. officials as saying that Aristide had left Port-au-Prince at 6:15 a.m., escorted by U.S. security forces as he left the National Palace. A U.S. government aircraft flew him to the neighboring island of Antigua, then to the Central African Republic and a final destination not yet determined, according to U.S. officials. The New York Times reported today that South Africa had refused Aristide's request for asylum and that he would remain in the Central African Republic.
After sweeping through the countryside with ease over the past three weeks, rebel forces from the National Liberation Front entered Port-au-Prince yesterday. By late afternoon, the Front, whose core members are former Haitian military personnel, patrolled the streets. Some rebels were welcomed by local residents.
Earlier in the day, rebel leader Guy Philippe, who had pledged to take over the capital in the coming days, said yesterday he would come to Port-au-Prince, but in the role of peacemaker.
"We don't intend to fight anymore. Time is up for fighting anymore," Philippe said on CNN's "Late Edition," adding that he welcomed the arrival of the Marines.
James B. Foley, the U.S. ambassador to Haiti, sent a warning message to the rebels not to advance on the capital, where pro-Aristide Haitians responded with anger and violence over the loss of their leader.
"I believe it is a tremendous test of their credibility," Foley said. "They said they would lay down their arms if Aristide resigned. He has resigned."
He added that the rebels "understand the international community is coming here," a subtle reminder to Philippe that he would encounter not only Aristide loyalists but also heavily armed and well-trained U.S. Marines and international troops if he tried to capture Port-au-Prince.
Neptune also promised that "all who have caused death and sown violence should be taken before the courts and punished according to the law."
During the nearly monthlong insurgency, which has claimed at least 100 lives, Aristide refused to step down, despite escalating pressure from foreign governments, a growing political opposition movement, and Philippe's forces.
Foley and Neptune both insisted that Aristide had himself decided to make the "sacrifice" of his power to salvage the safety and well-being of his people.
Neptune read a statement he said was from Aristide: "If . . . my resignation is the decision that can avoid a bloodbath, I consent to leave with hope there will be life, not death."
Aristide made no public announcement of his decision and was helped to the airport before dawn by U.S. soldiers, who Foley said "facilitated his safe departure."
The former Catholic priest boarded a small plane at 6:15 a.m. and left the country, Foley said.
"He felt his resignation, making this personal sacrifice, would help to heal the nation," said Foley, who stood directly behind Neptune and Alexandre for the announcement of the new government.
"President Aristide wanted it otherwise, but unfortunately, it didn't happen that way," Neptune said.
Tensions remained high yesterday in the capital. The loud rat-a-tat of gunfire started early, as residents learned of the morning's developments. Smoke billowed up from the valley neighborhoods that make up some of Port-au-Prince's worst slums. Alexandre's swearing-in was delayed because the judge who was to officiate was blocked inside the center of the city and had to be escorted up to the prime minister's residence, local police said.
Members of the "chimeres," the militant supporters of Aristide, took to the streets with masks and kerchiefs covering their faces, waving guns and shooting into the air. Crowds of people gathered around the presidential palace, shouting angrily, while others raided stores, most of which have been closed during the recent violence. A safe was seen taken from a local bank.
Initially, police resisted calls to return to their posts, some of which had been burned and looted. But late in the day, uniformed men, joined by well-armed civilians, were gathering their forces for what they hoped would be the final battle against pro-Aristide supporters.
"Tonight's the big night," said a 30-year-old man holding a modified M-16 assault rifle. "Tonight we make sure it stops for sure."
The man, who called himself M-4, was part of a group of civilians who had taken up arms against the "chimeres." He said his brother was paralyzed after being shot by the pro-Aristide groups. He and his well-armed colleagues were businessmen who numbered almost 100.
"This is the first step: to stop them from going and killing and shooting," he said as they piled into sport utility vehicles and departed for the city center, where the fighting continued.
Aristide had long counted the U.S. government as a friend, a country that sent more than 20,000 troops to Haiti in 1994 to reinstall him as the Caribbean nation's democratically elected leader. Aristide had been ousted in a 1991 military coup.
But Washington grew increasingly disenchanted with Aristide, a once-popular leader whom political opponents have accused of corruption and human rights abuses. American officials brokered a peace deal last week that Aristide accepted, but it was rejected by democratic opposition forces and the rebels. As rebel forces neared the city and worries grew of a bloody battle between Aristide loyalists and the deposed president's foes, the White House stepped up its pressure on Aristide.
By the middle of last week, French officials openly suggested that Aristide step down. On Saturday night, the White House issued a blunt statement questioning Aristide's "fitness to continue to govern Haiti" and said the current crisis was largely Aristide's fault.
Twelve hours later, Aristide was headed to the small plane that would take him away.
Farah Stockman of the Globe Staff contributed to this report from Washington. Material from the Associated Press also was used.
Published by
The Boston Globe
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