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19966: Leiderman: rangel vs. noriega (fwd)
From: Stuart M Leiderman <leidermn@cisunix.unh.edu>
the streaming audio/video of last week's important Congressional hearing
on Haiti is now at: <http://boss.streamos.com/real/hir/34_who30304.smi>
March 3, 2004:
2:00 p.m., 2172 Rayburn House Office Building
Hearing: The Situation in Haiti
Hearing Notice, Hon. Cass Ballenger, Hon. Roger F. Noriega, Hon. Arthur
E. Dewey, Hon. Adolfo A. Franco, Hon. Timothy M. Carney (no prepared
statement), Hon. Orlando Marville, Mr. Pierre-Marie Paquiot, Robert
Maguire, Ph.D. (no prepared statement), Jeffrey D. Sachs, Ph.D.
- - - - - - -
background:
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2004/03/05/2003101218
At a hearing dominated by Democratic
members of the Congressional Black Caucus,
Roger Noriega, the assistant secretary of state
for Western Hemisphere affairs, was denounced
as insolent and misguided, and faced derisive
laughter, as he testified that the US had not
forced Aristide from office.
"We did not support the violent overthrow of
that man," Noriega told members of a House
international relations subcommittee.
Aristide, who was flown into exile in the Central
African Republic aboard an American plane on
Sunday, has said he was kidnapped by
American officials determined to oust him.
Angry Democrats excoriated the administration
for effectively carrying out a coup d'etat. In the
hearing, lawmakers said Aristide had been
coerced into resigning.
"He was forced out," said Representative
Maxine Waters, a California Democrat, who
spoke with Aristide by phone on Wednesday.
"He told me that he did not go of his own will."
In separate testimony, Powell dismissed the
notion that Aristide had been forced out, instead
characterizing him as a flawed leader who had
not governed democratically.
"But having said that, we tried to help him,"
Powell said. "We tried to get him into a process
with the opposition. But by the time this thing
came to a crisis, the opposition had been so
disappointed and so resentful and untrusting of
President Aristide's efforts over the years that
we couldn't get that together."
Noriega acknowledged that the administration
had told Aristide that it could not guarantee his
safety as rebels made a final push toward the
Haitian capital. He defended the decision not to
"prop him up" in office.
"We do not have an obligation to put American
lives at risk to save every government that might
ask for help," said Noriega, who called the
deposed president erratic and unreliable. "In the
case of Haiti it was a difficult decision, but I
think it was the right one."
Noriega confirmed that an American diplomat
had sought a letter of resignation from Aristide
before giving him and his relatives safe passage
out of Haiti on Sunday. The reason, Noriega
said, was to establish a "sustainable, political"
solution after Aristide's departure.
Representative Charles Rangel, a New York
Democrat, asked Noriega if the Bush
administration would have rescued Aristide
without a letter of resignation.
"Probably, yes," Noriega replied. He said that
Aristide's wife, Mildred Trouillot, is an
American citizen.
Rangel said that under a threat to his life,
Aristide had little choice but to sign a resignation
letter.
"I would have signed one too," Rangel said.
Noriega also confirmed reports that Aristide
had taken off from Haiti without a set
destination in mind. In fact, Noriega said, he did
not learn that the Central African Republic
would be his place of temporary refuge until
about 20 minutes before he landed.
- - - - - - -
Stuart Leiderman
leidermn@christa.unh.edu