20043: (Chamberlain) AP: Haiti (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Greg Chamberlain <GregChamberlain@compuserve.com>

   By
 PAISLEY DODDS
 and
 IAN JAMES

   PORT-AU-PRINCE, March 8 AP) -- U.S. Marines shot and killed a gunman
during an outbreak of shooting at a weekend demonstration by Haitians
celebrating the ouster of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, a spokesman
said Monday.
   The gunfire occurred during an anti-Aristide march Sunday, prompting the
Marines to return fire in the first armed action of their week-old mission
to stabilize Haiti.
   At least six people were killed and more than 30 injured in the worst
bloodshed since Aristide fled Haiti on Feb. 29 and U.S. and French
peacekeepers arrived.
   Also on Monday, Aristide declared from his African exile that he was
still president of Haiti and urged "peaceful resistance" in his homeland.
   Col. Charles Gurganus told a news conference that the gunman was trying
to attack Marines when he was killed Sunday.
   Protesters had been calling for the exiled Aristide to stand trial for
alleged corruption and killings committed by his armed militants.
   Gurganus said the shooting occurred near one corner of the presidential
National Palace when a Marine platoon observed two gunmen. One was killed,
while the troops did not know what happened to the other, he said.
   Asked how he knew the man killed was a gunman, Gurganus said: "He had a
gun, and he was shooting at Marines. That's what I call a gunman."
   Angry survivors accused the Marines and their French colleagues of not
doing enough to prevent the attack in the central Champs de Mars plaza.
   Among the dead was Spanish TV correspondent Ricardo Ortega. Dozens were
injured, including photographer Michael Laughlin, of South Florida, who
works for the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel.
   In his first press conference in exile, Aristide insisted he was still
president and called for "peaceful resistance" against what he called the
"occupation" of his homeland.
   "I am the democratically elected president and I remain so. I plead for
the restoration of democracy" in Haiti, Aristide told reporters in Bangui,
the capital of the Central African Republic. "We appeal for a peaceful
resistance."
   Aristide fled under pressure from a popular rebellion and officials from
the United States and France. In other statements since arriving in Bangui,
Aristide has accused the U.S. military of forcing him to step down -- an
allegation denied by Secretary of State Colin Powell and other Bush
administration officials.
   What anti-Aristide demonstrators billed as a "victory march" began
Sunday with a few hundred people in the capital's Petionville suburb, with
Haitian police in the lead. Bringing up the rear were U.S. Marines in five
Humvees mounted with machine guns and two truckloads of French
legionnaires.
   Pro-Aristide militants said they too would march, and a confrontation
seemed inevitable.
   "Try Aristide! Jail Aristide!" protesters yelled, demanding he stand
trial for alleged corruption and killings committed by his supporters.
   As the number of protesters swelled to thousands, the peacekeepers got
hemmed in.
   When marchers converged on the Champs de Mars plaza, gunfire erupted.
   Several witnesses said they saw Aristide militants open fire from the
roof of the Rex movie theater across the plaza as thousands gathered in
front of the palace.
   Maj. Richard Crusan said it was unclear who the gunmen were. He told The
Associated Press on Sunday that three Marines on the grounds of the palace
returned fire, shooting in the direction of the theater gunfire. No Marines
were wounded.
   Doctors lacking supplies struggled to treat the injured despite the
arrival of a French air force helicopter delivering emergency supplies to
Port-au-Prince's main private hospital.
   Among the injured was Laughlin, 37, who was shot in the face and
shoulder but was in stable condition.
   Many of the victims were shot with high-velocity bullets from weapons
like M-16s and M-14s, said Dr. Ronald Georges.
   Victims complained the peacekeepers did nothing.
   "The peacekeepers were nowhere near where the shooting was," said Alma
Coastal, 31, who was shot twice in the left shoulder.
   French commander Col. Daniel Leplatois defended the peacekeepers,
saying: "We're not able to secure the lives of all of the demonstrators."
   Aristide supporters said they canceled their march because peacekeepers
had not promised the same level of security they gave their opponents. A
pro-Aristide rally was instead planned for Monday.
   "The Americans are only here to protect those who helped oust Aristide,"
said Ednar Ducoste, 23. "If we had guns, we would be fighting against them
right now."
   Prime Minister Yvon Neptune said the Marines abided by "rules of
engagement (that) permit that they use proportional force."
   Wailing victims flooded the Canape Vert hospital where Georges works,
and blood covered the floors of the two operating rooms.
   Neptune -- an Aristide appointee whom protesters also want tried --
ordered police to search for perpetrators and "start disarming all who
carry illegal weapons."
   Chief rebel leader Guy Philippe, who was hoisted on the shoulders of
protesters Sunday and hailed as a hero, promised to disarm last week. But
his fighters say they will surrender their arms only after Aristide's
militants do so.
   Aristide was a wildly popular slum priest when he became Haiti's first
freely elected leader in 1990. But he lost support after he was re-elected
in 2000. Haitians said he failed to improve their lives, condoned
corruption and used police and armed supporters to attack his political
opponents.
   ------
   Associated Press writer Peter Prengaman contributed to this report from
Port-au-Prince.