19523: (hermantin)Miami-Herald- OUR OPINION: MOVE QUICKLY TO PROVIDE SECURITY, END HUMA (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: leonie hermantin <lhermantin@hotmail.com>

Posted on Mon, Mar. 01, 2004

''New chapter'' opens for beleaguered Haiti

OUR OPINION: MOVE QUICKLY TO PROVIDE SECURITY, END HUMANITARIAN CRISIS


The hasty departure of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide from Haiti places
urgent tasks on the agenda of the international community: end the
humanitarian crisis, restore a measure of civil order and marginalize the
goon squads who control the countryside and the battered capital.

The rapid deployment of a U.S. Marine contingent into Port-au-Prince could
be a good first step, but its assignment -- protecting U.S. operations -- is
too limited.

A larger force should follow as soon as possible. If history is any guide,
Haitian thugs are quick to vanish when confronted by real soldiers, but
there must be enough soldiers to ensure a safe environment for the task
ahead.

Vacuum of power

Leaders of the so-called rebel forces that threatened Mr. Aristide's
presidency include notorious killers and torturers who have no place in any
government that aspires to lead Haiti toward democracy. However, they can be
counted on to make trouble if the vacuum of power is left unfilled for long.

It is fair to say that practically no Haitian leader has left the country in
such dire straits as Mr. Aristide. There isn't even a functioning
legislative branch left behind to give the required legal blessing to
Supreme Court Justice Boniface Alexandre as he attempts to salvage a
functioning government. Under the circumstances, Mr. Alexandre must make the
best of it and try to form a provisional national leadership that has room
for all the nonviolent political factions in the country. Failing to include
all the legitimate voices of democracy in Haiti would be a grievous error.

Stop repatriations

Until order is restored, it is incumbent on the United States to stop
repatriating Haitians interdicted on the high seas, and to ensure that all
potential refugees are given a real opportunity to make their case. Anything
less would be a failure to live up to our international commitments, not to
mention a fair standard of decency.

President Bush hailed the departure of Mr. Aristide as the start of a ''new
chapter'' in Haiti's history, but the absence of a clear U.S. commitment to
the construction of a better future for Haiti is a matter of concern. The
U.N.'s apparent role as an umbrella organization for the forces that will
assist Haiti should be supported by all nations in the region.

However, if the Bush administration is serious about wanting a peaceful and
prosperous Haiti, Washington must be prepared to make the most significant
contribution to the task of leading the nation back from the abyss. Most
important, U.S. leadership must be willing to stay the course. No other
country has the influence or the resources that will be required, and no
other country has a greater stake in a successful outcome.

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