6971: 7 Fevrier 2001 (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: OLOFFSONRAM@aol.com

I'm a bit perplexed by Joseph Kennedy's call for support of the "8 points" 
recently proposed by the Lavalas government and the outgoing Clinton 
administration. Weren't these the same points that were agreed to in order to 
send the 20,000 troops back in '94? Well, the troops have come and gone, why 
are free and fair elections and privatization still being negotiated.
    I did go to the inauguration and Joseph Kennedy was the only American 
referred to by name at the affair. There were representatives from Cuba, 
Panama, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Belize and Mexico among others(Taiwan). This 
shows me that there has been a shift in Haitian alliances from a 
European/United States influence to a more Central American/Hispanic 
Caribbean perspective. North-South in relation to the United States rather 
than East-West.  Mexico, Nicaragua and Cuba of course are well known for 
their populist revolutions. 
     In describing economic projects for the upcoming term there seemed to be 
a lack of potential partners to work with the new Lavalas administration. 
Aristide asked for 5000 hotel rooms and Club Med can't stay open with 400, 
because of too much political turbulence. 
     The people in the streets were happy and those attending, in general, 
were very supportive but I saw very little representation of the business 
class in Haiti, mind you I might not recognize some of them even if I saw 
them. Its just a general impression.
  A detachment of young girls (the hope of Haiti?) came marching in, in 
seemingly endless rows of three in white shirts and matching white skirts 
accompanied by a military type marching band. It was beautiful to see. They 
repeatedly lifted a large banner of a dove with an olive branch into the air 
then threw a number of white doves into the air. Though some of the doves 
plunged directly to the ground, probably from heat exhaustion, one managed to 
find its way the the podium from which Aristide spoke.
   Aristide was enthusiastic and flamboyant (though a couple of hours late) 
and spoke in Creole,French,  then English, then Spanish. The largest applause 
of the day was when he introduced Joe Kennedy and when he began speaking in 
Spanish.
   Afterwards we came back to the Oloffson,(skipped the buffet at the palace) 
and watched a wonderful and rare 1969 British T.V. documentary on Haiti, 
which had extensive interviews in English with Papa Doc. The video was 
brought to us by Greg Chamberlain, who spent a bit of time this week with his 
Corbett nemesis Kim Ives. The two of them seemed to get along famously. There 
were probably at least a dozen Corbetteers here last night, many of them 
journalists so I'll leave the reporting to them.

Richard Morse