12452: OAS report says attack in Haiti on palace was not coup attempt (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: leonie hermantin <lhermantin@hotmail.com>

OAS report says attack in Haiti on palace was not coup attempt
BY NANCY SAN MARTIN
nsanmartin@herald.com

An attack on Haiti's National Palace last year was not the result of an
attempt to seize political power but rather an outbreak of violence
connected to the general breakdown of law and order, states a report
released Monday.

The report, commissioned by the Organization of American States, stops short
of pointing blame at anyone, but officials familiar with the investigation
said organized crime may be the force behind continued upheaval in the
Caribbean nation.

''The obvious answer deep down,'' said an OAS official familiar with the
report, ``is that it was drug related. It's organized crime and others who
are trying to take advantage of the political situation.''

LAW ENFORCEMENT

The report states the attack on the palace and the related violence could
not have taken place without complicity by Haiti's law enforcement
organizations.

''Some policemen tried to establish order but they were isolated cases,''
the report states. ``In general, the police were perceived as being
accomplices to the events.''

Commission members are scheduled to go to Haiti again next week for a new
round of discussions.

''It is now essential that the government of Haiti move decisively to end
impunity and establish the rule of law and that both sides agree to fair
elections and to finish the initial political accord in the days ahead,''
U.S. Ambassador Roger Noriega, the new chairman of the OAS, said in a
written statement.

POLITICAL STALEMATE

Haiti's political stalemate stems from alleged irregularities in the May
2000 legislative elections. The impasse pits President Jean-Bertrand
Aristide and his Lavalas Family Party against political opponents.

Efforts to reach an accord have been hampered by a wave of violence, which
culminated with the Dec. 17 attack at the National Palace in Port-au-Prince.
Several people were killed, and property and homes belonging to members of a
15-party opposition alliance, the Democratic Convergence, were targeted by
mobs whose members described themselves as supporters of Aristide.

The 77-page OAS report, based on extensive hearings and interviews,
concludes that the attack was not a traditional coup because evidence
suggests the aim was not the removal of Aristide. It also hints at
corruption on the part of law enforcement as a reason for the failure to
contain violence that spread across the nation.

''We're glad that this report finally confirms what we've been saying for
the past six months,'' said Osner Févry, a member of the Democratic
Convergence.

``What we are expecting now is concrete steps [by the Haitian government].''

The report recommends that ''all persons found to be implicated in the
violence . . . be prosecuted without delay,'' and urges that ``prompt and
adequate payment of reparations be made to all organizations and individuals
who suffered damage and/or injury.''

The continuing dispute has kept Haiti isolated on the international front,
freezing badly needed financial aid from abroad.

The report recommends that the funds begin with the implementation of the
political agreements reached by the government and the opposition.

`THIS MESS'

Lucas Especa, a spokesman for Aristide, said that while the president
continues to believe he was the target of the Dec. 17 attack, he stands
ready to sign an accord.

''He approves of the content of the agreement,'' Especa said.

``The president wants to get Haiti out of this mess.''

We have so many problems we need to solve. This is an urgency for the
government,'' he added.

The draft accord that will be discussed next week includes issues such as
establishing a new electoral council; providing a secure environment;
promoting a national dialogue; and improving Haiti's economic situation.







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