19544: radtimes: President Aristide Says 'I Was Kidnapped' "Tell The World It Is A Coup' (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: radtimes <resist@best.com>

March 1st, 2004
EXCLUSIVE BREAKING NEWS:
PRESIDENT ARISTIDE SAYS 'I WAS KIDNAPPED'
'TELL THE WORLD IT IS A COUP'

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=04/03/01/1521216

Multiple sources that just spoke with Haitian President Jean-Bertrand
Aristide told Democracy Now! that Aristide says he was "kidnapped" and
taken by force to the Central African Republic. Congressmember Maxine
Waters said she received a call from Aristide at 9am EST. "He's surrounded
by military. It's like he is in jail, he said. He says he was kidnapped,"
said Waters. She said he had been threatened by what he called US
diplomats. According to Waters, the diplomats reportedly told the Haitian
president that if he did not leave Haiti, paramilitary leader Guy Philippe
would storm the palace and Aristide would be killed. According to Waters,
Aristide was told by the US that they were withdrawing Aristide's US security.

TransAfrica founder and close Aristide family friend Randall Robinson also
received a call from the Haitian president early this morning and confirmed
Waters account. Robinson said that Aristide "emphatically" denied that he
had resigned. "He did not resign," he said. "He was abducted by the United
States in the commission of a coup." Robinson says he spoke to Aristide on
a cell phone that was smuggled to the Haitian president.

Audio and Transcripts will be posted shortly.

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