19653: Esser: South Africa Rejects Washington's Claim Aristide Was Denied Asylum (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: D. Esser torx@joimail.com

Democracy Now!
http://www.democracynow.org

Mar. 02, 2004

EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Psy-Ops Exposed, South Africa Rejects Washington's
Claim Aristide Was Denied Asylum

Listen to segment:

In a Democracy Now! exclusive, South African ambassador to the United
Nations, Dumisani Kumalo, says President Aristide did not request
asylum or exile in South Africa, nor did the South African government
deny him asylum or exile as alleged by the US State Department and
The New York Times.
The US government/corporate media psychological operations campaign
against Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide has been in full
swing for weeks. Aristide has been portrayed as "fleeing Haiti"
"abandoning his country" and "resigning" his post. Over the past 24
hours, a very different picture has emerged. As we have reported
extensively on Democracy Now!, it is becoming very clear that
Aristide was forced out of Haiti in what can only be called another
U.S. coup; that he was threatened by US officials and that he was
taken to Africa against his will.

Over the weekend, as Aristide's whereabouts were still unknown, the
psy-ops campaign intensified. The New York Times and other corporate
media outlets quoted unnamed "senior State Department officials" as
saying that Aristide was denied exile in South Africa. In a front
page article yesterday, the Times said President Thabo Mbeki did not
want to provoke a political controversy in South Africa.

Democracy Now! has learned from the South African ambassador to the
United Nations, Dumisani Kumalo, that President Aristide did not
request asylum or exile in South Africa, nor did the South African
government deny him amnesty or exile as alleged by the US State
Department and The New York Times.

• Dumisani Kumalo, is the South African ambassador to the United
Nations.

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