Controversy, coalition forces remain in Haiti following resignation of president

Jet, March 22, 2004

An uneasy sense of calm began to settle across Haiti as the first group of UN peacekeeping soldiers--U.S. Marines and French troops--entered Port-au-Prince, where rival factions under Aristide's presidency killed 130 people as they waged a bloody grab for power weeks before.

At least 1,000 U.S. Marines trained their rifles down gritty streets and into a teeming market as they patrolled the Haitian capital with other peacekeepers, including 440 French, 130 Chileans and 60 Canadians, according to the U.S. Southern Command. More than 20 U.S. military flights have delivered the U.S. forces with nearly 800 tons of equipment and supplies, at JET press time.

Accompanied by his wife and a small security detail, Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide fled the country in an aircraft provided by the U.S. as rebels neared the outskirts of the capital (JET, March 15). The country's first freely elected leader lost popularity because he allegedly condoned corruption and used militants to intimidate opponents. Aristide, in exile in the Central African Republic, has denied the accusations.

The Central African Republic has offered him permanent asylum if he asks, but would find it difficult to pay for his upkeep, the government said.

Meanwhile, just who is in control of Haiti is not immediately clear.

Rebel leader Guy Philippe, 34, declared himself chief of Haiti's military, which had been disbanded under Aristide. But Robert Noriega, assistant secretary of state, said the rebel leader wasn't in "control of anything but a ragtag band" and that Philippe's authority would not be recognized.

The authority of Boniface Alexandre, chief justice of the Haitian Supreme Court who was recently sworn in as interim head of state, seems unsure because the Constitution says he needs to be ratified by the legislature, but the legislature was dissolved in January.

At JET press time an effort was under way to form a government of national unity in Haiti.

The Organization of American States announced the establishment of a tripartite council, consisting of Leslie Voltaire, Aristide's Minister for Haitians Abroad; former opposition Sen. Paul Denis, a member of the Democratic Platform coalition; and Adama Guindo, the UN resident representative in Haiti. The three are to choose, by consensus, members for a Council of Sages which in turn will propose a new prime minister.

In Africa, Aristide, who was ousted from Haiti in a 1991 military coup then restored to power in 1994 with the aid of 20,000 U.S. troops, recently called for a "peaceful resistance" against what he described as the occupation of iris homeland. He has stated he was forced out of the country by the United States. It is a claim the U.S. has steadfastly denied.

However, South Africa recently added its voice to calls for an independent international investigation into the circumstances of Aristide's departure from Haiti. "The suggestion that President Aristide may have been forced out of office, if true, will have serious consequences and ramifications for the respect of the rule of law and democracy the world over," South African Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said in a statement.

The 15-nation Caribbean Community said that the circumstances of his departure were suspicious and should be investigated by an independent international investigation.

In Washington, some members of the Congressional Black Caucus held their first-ever meeting with president Bush, Secretary of State Colin Powell and National Security Director Condoleezza Rice concerning Aristide's ouster.

Rep. Maxine Waters announced she had talked to President Aristide and he said that he was kidnapped and flown out of the country. Others insisted that before he could board the American chartered plane, he had to give them his letter of resignation--written in Creole. Rep. Barbara Lee said she would raise Aristide's plight before the House International Relations Committee.

Secretary Powell stated that Aristide had not been taken off the island against his will, but for his own safety. However, House committee members agreed with members of the Caucus that the Aristide case should be examined more thoroughly.

Other leaders including the Rev. Jesse Jackson and the international advocacy group TransAfrica Forum, demanded a congressional investigation as well.