18870: Esser: Secretary Colin L. Powell on Haiti II (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: D. Esser torx@joimail.com

U.S. Department of State
Interview on Cox Broadcasting

Secretary Colin L. Powell
Washington, DC
February 18, 2004

(10:15 a.m. EST)

[...]

MR. MAJCHROWITZ: Moving on to Haiti. Ten years ago, you were part of
a delegation that went to Haiti and helped bring Aristide to power
and helped create some stability in that country. Now, ten years
later, his rule is being challenged.

You have ruled out the possibility, at least now, of military
intervention. What's different now than ten years ago?

SECRETARY POWELL: Well, ten years ago, he wasn't in power. He had
been removed from power by a military coup. And we persuaded the
military leaders to step down and leave the country, and allow Mr.
Aristide to come back and take over the presidency again.

And so he is the elected, democratically elected President of Haiti,
and we cannot allow a situation to come about where he is thrown out
of power by thugs or by some rebel movement or the opposition. The
opposition has complaints that they wish to present in a political
forum, and what we have to do is get a political dialogue going
between President Aristide and the opposition leaders.

So the international community has come together: the United States;
the OAS; the United Nations; other interested countries; the
Francophonie group, as it's called, France and Senegal, who have a
historic connection to Haiti. We have all come together behind a
plan, the plan of the Caribbean nations, the CARICOM plan, as it's
called. We are supporting that plan as a way to start a political
dialogue, and we hope that both sides will come into this political
dialogue.

We are prepared, the international community is prepared, to do what
it can to help with additional police forces once a political
settlement has been arrived at. But right now, there are no plans for
the outside world to come in and impose a police or military solution
on this problem. We're willing to help with it after a political
settlement has been arrived at.

But I must say that ten years after we allowed and permitted and got
President Aristide back into this office, I regret that we haven't
seen more progress than I had hoped we would see when I was a
participant in these events back in 1994.

MR. MAJCHROWITZ: Mr. Secretary, thank you very much for your time.

SECRETARY POWELL: Thank you very much.

2004/173
.