14650: Hermantin: Sun Sentinel- Aristide confident of support (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: leonie hermantin <lhermantin@hotmail.com>

Aristide confident of support

By Michelle Faul
The Associated Press

January 30, 2003

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti · Faced with hostility at home and abroad, President
Jean-Bertrand Aristide defended his record Wednesday, saying he has saved
his
nation from chaos despite mounting strikes and demands that he resign.

Aristide, who in 1991 became Haiti's first democratically elected president,
admitted he may have lost support since his re-election more than two years
ago, as
he has faced a vocal opposition and an electoral dispute that has frozen
hundreds of millions of dollars in aid.

But in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, the former Roman
Catholic priest said he remains the first choice of the impoverished masses
who,
inspired by his fiery preaching for freedom and democracy, rose up to oust
Haiti's military dictatorship.

"Yes, we may have less [support] than we had in 1990, ... but I think the
huge majority of the Haitian people continue to support me," Aristide said.
"And if you
compare what I have and what the one who comes behind me can get -- there
you will see a huge margin of difference."

Haiti has been in crisis since flawed 2000 legislative elections swept by
Aristide's Lavalas Family party. International donors froze $500 million in
aid because
of irregularities in the vote.

Opponents, who say Aristide has grown more dictatorial, have launched a
campaign of protests demanding he resign. Street gangs claiming links to
Aristide's
party have attacked demonstrators, journalists and opposition politicians.

Aristide has promised new legislative elections this year, but the
opposition has refused to agree to the vote without security guarantees.
Aristide said he hopes to
persuade the opposition to participate.

During the 100-minute interview, Aristide blamed Haiti's many ills on a
global economic and political system that "smacks of racism." He called the
freeze in
foreign aid a form of economic "apartheid" to keep blacks down.

Copyright © 2003, South Florida Sun-Sentinel







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