18935: Burnham: Globe and Mail: Warring Haiti set to party (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: thor burnham <thorald_mb@hotmail.com>


By PAUL KNOX
>From Saturday's Globe and Mail

Port-au-Prince — Pro-government gangs attacked a student protest march in
the capital, wounding at least a dozen people. In the north of the Haiti,
armed insurgents maintained their grip on several cities and towns.

Foreigners, including Canadians, were warned to leave the country.
Diplomatic tension ran high as foreign envoys prepared to meet President
Jean-Bertrand Aristide and opposition leaders.

In the midst of it all, Haiti's capital prepared yesterday for the party of
the century, a special extended Carnival that not even the prospect of
revolution could halt.

Food merchants staked out their turf, and work crews hammered viewing stands
together along the downtown route planned for dancing, singing revellers in
the annual pre-Lenten celebration.

"Carnival is going to happen, in spite of everything," said Rools Pierre, a
37-year-old Haitian living in New York who returns home every year for the
event. "Pleasure — that's what's out there, in the middle of the crowds."

Mr. Aristide tacked two extra days onto the three-day festival this year to
commemorate the 200th anniversary of the slave revolt that gave Haiti its
independence.

But as sign artists in the downtown zone painted the carnival's slogan,
Rebirth for Haiti, students demanding Mr. Aristide's resignation were
attacked with gunfire, rocks and bottles about two kilometres away.

Witnesses and radio reports said between 12 and 20 people were wounded, two
of them Haitian journalists. Foreign journalists said they were attacked by
machete-wielding government supporters who chased them through the streets.
Mexican television reporter Carlos Loret de Mola said the anti-Aristide
students rescued him from one assault.

The violence flared as Canada and the United States asked their citizens to
leave Haiti, which has been racked by protests in the capital and rebellions
in the north that have chased police from a dozen cities and towns.

The capital is not now threatened by the rebels, who include street toughs
and former members of the now disbanded Haitian army implicated in massacres
and political assassinations.

But Kim Girtel, first secretary at the Canadian embassy, said officials are
worried by graffiti in the capital urging the poor to attack the rich. She
added that handbills have been distributed in the Tabarre district, where
Mr. Aristide's residence is located, warning neighbours to leave because of
an attack planned for next week.

"We want to avoid the panic of last-minute departure," she said. "The
situation is very volatile here."

Slightly fewer than 1,000 Canadian residents are registered with consular
officials, and Ms. Girtel estimated there are about 500 unregistered. Many
are missionaries or aid workers.

A high-level diplomatic mission — including Denis Coderre, secretary of
state for Canada's relations with francophone countries — is expected to
press Mr. Aristide and opposition leaders today[SAT] to hold talks to defuse
the political tension.

The mission also includes Roger Noriega, the senior U.S. State Department
official for Latin American affairs; Cesar Gaviria, Secretary-General of the
Organization of American States; and several Caribbean leaders.

Mr. Aristide pledged on Jan. 31 to choose a new prime minister, begin police
reforms, set up a board to oversee stalled parliamentary elections and free
jailed opponents — all by March 15.

Since then, his government has hinted it may not be able to fulfill the
commitments because of the uprising in the north. Mr. Coderre said yesterday
that Mr. Aristide should meet his promises by March 26, when a summit of
Caribbean leaders is planned.

Opposition leaders, too, will be under pressure at today's talks. Most have
refused to consider face-to-face negotiations with Mr. Aristide, insisting
instead that he step down. But foreign governments say they cannot demand
the resignation of an elected leader.

Diplomats close to the talks have expressed frustration with the opposition
stand.

"They've really been polecats on this," one said. "At least Aristide has
said the right thing, even if he doesn't always do it."

A deal between Mr. Aristide and his opponents is considered essential before
Canada and other countries can consider sending reinforcements to help
Haiti's weak, underequipped police force battle the insurgents.

Meanwhile, in downtown Port-au-Prince, some revellers said the political
crisis might dampen enthusiasm for Carnival. The first nightly procession
was to snake through the streets last night.

Many believe it is inappropriate to hold an extended festival when the
government is under siege, said Antoine Jean-Claude, 47, a security guard
for the waterworks authority.

"I think a lot of people will stay home this year, because of the way things
are going," he said.

The idea of curbing the festival because of the rebellion found little
support within Mr. Aristide's cabinet, said Leslie Voltaire, the minister
responsible for Haitians living abroad. "I tried to say, 'Let's keep it at
three days,' and everyone got mad at me."

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