18535: Esser: Is Washington Backing Another Coup in Haiti? (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: D. E s s e r <torx@mail.joimail.com>

Democracy Now!
http://www.democracynow.org
Thursday, February 12th, 2004

RealAudio: Watch 128k stream:
http://play.rbn.com/?url=demnow/demnow/demand/2004/feb/128/dn20040212a.rm&proto=rtsp&start=43:43.3

Is Washington Backing Another Coup in Haiti?
Broadcast including interviews with Paul Farmer and Jean Jean-Pierre


Up to 40 people have been killed in Haiti as anti-government gangs
and militias work to overthrow the government of Jean Bertrand
Aristide. We discuss the causes of the recent violence and examine
what role the U.S. is playing in the current events in the country.
If it weren't for the occupation of Iraq, perhaps official attention
in Washington would be focused south on the island nation of Haiti.
Anti-government gangs and militias are working with opposition groups
and former army officers in an effort to overthrow the government of
Jean Bertrand Aristide. There is concern that Washington is once
again working behind the scenes to foment a coup.

The Haitian President said yesterday he will not step down from
office, telling reporters "I will leave the palace Feb. 7, 2006"-that
is the day his mandate as president ends. For weeks, Haiti has seen
armed gangs attacking government forces and supporters in various
towns and cities across the country. Pro-government supporters have
been defending Aristide. There have been a series of armed battles
that have resulted in at least 40 deaths. Haiti has no army and has a
dwindling police force numbering only a few thousand.

If the violence escalates, there are fears that Haiti could
experience another mass exodus of people taking to boats to flee the
country. And many are beginning to question exactly what role the US
is playing in the current events in the country.

This week the Bush administration stopped just short of calling on
the Aristide to resign. State Department spokesperson Richard Boucher
told reporters, "We recognize that reaching a political settlement
will require some fairly thorough changes in the way Haiti is
governed."

Another senior official told The Baltimore Sun, "When we talk about
undergoing change in the way Haiti is governed, I think that could
indeed involve changes in Aristide's position."

* Dr. Paul Farmer, author of "The Uses of Haiti" and " Pathologies of
Power: Health, Human Rights, and the New War on the Poor". Farmer
helps run clinics in Haiti.
* Jean Jean-Pierre, is a journalist who has written for the Village
Voice for more than a decade. He was born and raised in Haiti.

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http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=04/02/12/1552237

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