20030: Esser: Sparring over Aristide's fall (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: D. Esser torx@joimail.com

The Jamaica Observer
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com

Sparring over Aristide's fall

Rickey Singh
March 07, 2004

THE forced resignation of Jean-Bertrand Aristide as the legitimate
president of Haiti, a Caribbean Community member state, has now
developed into a sparring game that brings into question not only the
role of the USA, but the behaviour of the United Nations Security
Council itself.

Caricom betrays no flattering image of itself in terms of the
influence it can exert on critical international issues within the
councils of the UN. But it had gone a far way in achieving success
for an Action Plan to bring about compromise resolution to the
governance crisis between Aristide and Opposition forces of political
parties and civil society.

Components of the "peace" plan had involved reducing Aristide's
presidential powers, appointment of a new prime minister favoured by
his opponents, with an interim administration to prepare for new
elections, while an international military force mounted by the UN
would help to promote stabilisation.
Having earlier achieved the support of the USA and Canada, as fellow
members of the Organisation of American States and signatories to the
Inter-American Democratic Charter, Caricom felt confident of moving
to a resolution and of the UN's readiness in sending to Haiti an
international peace-keeping force to quell the violence and chaos.

Then came the stunning somersault by the United States and Canada who
surprisingly, colluded with France, the former coloniser of Haiti,
against which the Aristide administration has been seeking a massive
US$21 billion compensation package for years of Haitian slavery.
When American, French and Canadian troops turned up on Haitian soil
within hours of the forced resignation and exile of Aristide, and the
UN Security Council quickly ceased its foot-dragging and endorsed the
deployment of an interim multinational military force in Haiti,
Caricom rightly felt rebuffed, if not betrayed, in its good faith
negotiations with all sides.

In the circumstances, therefore, the Caricom leaders seemingly
exercised more restraint in both language and decisions, than
expected in some quarters, when they held their emergency meeting in
Kingston over two days last week.
They did not surprise any of the more careful Haiti "watchers" by
their decision not to legitimise the rebel forces in any way,
including recognition of an interim government in which they may be
involved.

But they did stop short of announcing a temporary suspension of doing
business with Haiti until some semblance of legality and legitimacy
surfaces with an interim administration in Port-au-Prince.
Secondly, it was not surprising that they decided against
participation in the current interim military force mounted by the
USA, France and Canada. They simply had no choice - unless they
wanted to invite public ridicule.

That was the least they could have done, having been rebuffed in
their own efforts to link an international military presence, under
UN auspices, with a negotiated "action plan", as originally accepted
by the USA and Canada - but then rejected.
In the end, with the armed rebels and criminals on the warpath; with
a spreading killing spree, mayhem and a descent into civil war;
Caricom's "action plan" was left to burn on a heap of Haitian blood
and chaos, as American and French troops turned up for Aristide at
the Presidential Palace.

Aristide was certainly no angel. Political thuggery, murder and
suppression of opponents, muzzling of the media, were all part of his
own political armoury in battling his foes to retain power.
Clean hands are not easy to find in Haiti, including those who were
financed and armed by so-called "democratic nations", whose own
hatred for Aristide remains no secret.
But the "regime change" carried out by America, France and Canada
against Aristide signals a most dangerous threat to all legitimate
governments throughout the Caribbean and Latin American region.

The Caricom emergency meeting was quite clear on that score. The
leaders expressed the view that the circumstances under which
Aristide had to demit office "set a dangerous precedent for
democratically-elected governments everywhere as it promotes the
unconstitutional removal of duly elected persons from office..."
Will President George Bush lose any sleep over this warning from
Caricom? No way.
An American president who was "elected" under highly controversial
circumstances, apart from the rigged votes in Florida that we are
being reminded about by the US media this election year, had no
sympathies for the Aristide administration.

And the interests of the Caribbean and Latin American nations have
remained as low priorities on his agenda, preoccupied as he has been
with his pre-emptive war on Iraq and "war on terrorism". Never mind
the occasional photo opportunities he provided at the White House for
a few Caribbean and Latin American leaders.
The Caricom leaders can expect to be under critical scrutiny from now
until they meet again for their regular Inter-Sessional Conference,
scheduled for later this month in St John's Antigua, on future
relations with Haiti - without the Aristide presidency.
.