19280: Esser: French ideas raise hope for Haiti (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

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

The Jamaica Observer
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/

Editorial

French ideas raise hope for Haiti

Thursday, February 26, 2004

Haiti, unfortunately, continues to bleed from its current political
crisis and the intransigence of an Opposition who, in their grasp for
the immediate gain, are missing the bigger, longer-term and far more
important picture.

They fail to understand that their insistence on removing Haiti's
elected president by violence and unconstitutional means will keep
their country on a treadmill of violence and instability and remove
the possibility of support for their agenda from Caribbean neighbours.

For the fact is, that while most of the rest of region are,
institutionally, substantially better off than Haiti, their democracy
remains a work in progress with many imperfections still be ironed
out. Indeed, to sanction a removal of a government by violence and to
give their imprimatur to leaders of right-wing death squads and past
coup plotters, would be to suggest that this is an acceptable method
in the region. Indeed, Jamaica has flirted with this kind of politics
and still bears heavy scars from the folly.

However, this newspaper is a bit more sanguine now about the
possibilities in Haiti than appeared possible in recent days and
weeks. There have been three developments in Haiti.

As we have argued all along, the Caribbean Community (Caricom),
through its chairman, Prime Minister Patterson of Jamaica, has
formally declared that the trade and economic group, of which Haiti
is a member, will not recognise any government that comes to office
by "unconstitutional and illegitimate means". So if the Haitian
Opposition come to office and are intent on sitting at the regional
table, they have to find another route.

Caricom must not budge from this position.

Two other developments give us some hope about Haiti. Almost
simultaneously with this newspaper's suggestion for such a course, Mr
Patterson has formally requested a Security Council discussion on the
possibility of a peace-keeping force for Haiti.

Caricom ambassadors at the UN must press the immediacy of the matter
and should be prepared to argue for the urgent deployment of such a
force - to which they will contribute troops. They must not be
fettered by the failure of the Opposition to accept the peace accord
proposed by Caricom or acceptance of a UN-backed mission, as appears
to be the position of the United States.

In this regard, the emerging position of France is important and moral.

Earlier, the French president, Jacques Chirac, had indicated that his
government would be willing to consider contributing to a
peace-keeping mission if one was backed by the United Nations.
Yesterday, Mr Chirac's foreign minister, Dominique deVillepin, went
further, recommending the immediate deployment of such a force.
Moreover, the French would support international assistance for Haiti
to prepare for new elections, humanitarian aid and long-term
reconstruction assistance.

All of the specifics of the French plan are not available, but on the
face Mr deVillepin's announcement appear be the outlines of a
superstructure that can be built on the foundation of the Caricom
short-term power-sharing initiative.

It would seem to us that the basis is being laid for a coalition of
the willing on Haiti, which, importantly, can have the blessing of
the United Nations, barring an unexpected veto.
.