19490: Lemieux: CNN: Democrat Rangel slams White House on Haiti policy (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: JD Lemieux <lxhaiti@yahoo.com>


  2/29/04

Democrat Rangel slams White House on Haiti policy


WASHINGTON (CNN) --Rep. Charles Rangel, D-New York, railed
against the White House on Sunday, following the
resignation and departure of Haitian President
Jean-Bertrand Aristide from the violence plagued nation.

Rangel -- a leader of the Congressional Black Caucus --
accused the Bush administration of sending a message that
other nations can't "depend on the United States to respect
the rule of law."

"We are just as much a part of this coup d'etat as the
rebels, as the looters, or anyone else," Rangel said,
appearing on ABC's "This Week."

The Bush administration, Rangel said, "made it abundantly
clear that Aristide would do best by leaving the country.
Which means that the rebels, the looters, and even those
soldiers that General [Colin] Powell chased out of Haiti,
coming back and taking over, [were] given to believe that
they should never, never, never accept Aristide as the
president."

Haitian Supreme Court Chief Justice Boniface Alexandre was
installed as president Sunday to lead a transitional
government, as provided by Haiti's constitution.

President Bush on Sunday ordered a deployment of U.S.
Marines to Haiti as "the leading element" of an
international force to help stabilize country. He did not
say how large the contingent was.

Gunfire could be heard in Port-au-Prince after Aristide's
departure to an unknown destination, and armed gangs
surrounded the Haitian presidential palace. (Full story)

Rangel said the White House should have supported
international accords and elections, and made it clear it
would not deal with the rebels.

"If there's reason for reform, you demand that reform,"
Rangel said. "But all we had to do was to send 200, 300
troops over there and tell those people to put down the
arms."

Rangel's view was disputed by Sen. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio,
also appearing on "This Week." "I don't think we encouraged
this coup," DeWine said.

"Secretary Powell worked very hard to try to get the
political opposition to agree to form a coalition
government," DeWine said. "Unfortunately, they just did not
do it, and here we are today."

Both men said U.S. troops should have been sent to Haiti,
and both called on the Bush administration and the
international community to support development of a new
government in the country.

That process should have begun earlier, Rangel said. "But
the international community failed to give the type of
support for a duly elected president to build the
infrastructure, the hospitals, the schools, and to
encourage foreign investment."

"We really have let Haiti down," Rangel said.


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