20161: (Chamberlain) Haiti new PM (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Greg Chamberlain <GregChamberlain@compuserve.com>

   By
 PETER PRENGAMAN
 and
 IAN JAMES

   PORT-AU-PRINCE, March 9 (AP) -- Haiti's U.S.-backed advisory council
picked a former foreign minister as the new prime minister on Tuesday, a
step toward forming a transitional government in this troubled nation.
   Gerard Latortue's appointment came as U.S. Marines said they would help
Haitian police disarm the general population. The new program, set to begin
later this week, will appeal to rebel groups and supporters of ousted
President Jean-Bertrand Aristide who have demanded weapons be taken away
from their enemies.
   Efforts to bring calm to this troubled Caribbean nation followed a
bloody insurgency that ousted Aristide on Feb. 29, put rebels in control of
half the country and sparked a frenzy of looting and violence. At least 130
people were killed in the rebellion; reprisal killings since Aristide's
ouster have left at least 300 dead.
   Unrest hit the capital again Tuesday as Aristide loyalists set up
flaming barricades and stoned cars. There were no immediate reports of
serious injury.
   After five days of private meetings, the seven-member Council of Sages
settled on Latortue, also a former U.N. official and an international
business consultant.
   Now Latortue and interim President Boniface Alexandre will try to work
toward organizing elections and building a new government for Haiti.
   Council member Dr. Ariel Henry said Latortue was chosen because the
council believed he was "an independent guy, a democrat." Councilor
Anne-Marie Issa described him as someone "to pull everybody together."
   Latortue, who served as foreign minister in 1988, was in Miami, but was
expected to fly to Haiti as soon as Wednesday, council members said. If he
accepts the job, Latortue would replace Prime Minister Yvon Neptune.
   Neptune stayed in his post even after Aristide fled the country Feb. 29.
Aristide opponents have demanded that Neptune be replaced.
   Also Tuesday, CIA Director George J. Tenet warned that in Haiti, "a
humanitarian disaster or mass migration remains possible."
   "A cycle of clashes and revenge killings could easily be set off, given
the large number of angry, well-armed people on both sides," he told the
Senate Armed Services Committee. "Improving security will require the
difficult task of disarming armed groups and augmenting and retraining a
national security force."
   Aristide, meanwhile, has insisted from exile in Africa that he is still
president of Haiti, saying he was removed from office by the U.S.
government.
   State Department officials have denied those claims. But the 53-nation
African Union and the 15-nation Caribbean Community have said they are
investigating.
   Ira Kurzban, a Miami-based lawyer for Aristide, told The Associated
Press that he has called on U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell to
investigate.
   "The kidnapping by the U.S. was part of a coup d'etat," Kurzban claimed.
   In an interview Monday with National Public Radio, Powell again denied
that Washington forced out Aristide, saying U.S. troops saved his life.
   Aristide "contacted our ambassador," Powell said, "and our ambassador
made appropriate arrangements so that he could leave safely, which many
people said we should make sure would happen -- that nothing would happen
to him. And he left of his own free will."
   Earlier, at a news conference in Port-au-Prince, Col. Charles Gurganus
said the joint disarmament program would begin Wednesday. He also called on
Haitians to tell peacekeepers who has weapons and to turn in any arms.
   "The disarmament will be both active and reactive, but I'm not going to
say any more about that," he said, giving few details of how the program
will work.
   Since the U.S. and French-led peacekeepers arrived a week ago, there has
been confusion over who is in charge of disarming groups. On Monday,
Gurganus said disarming rebels was not part of the peacekeepers' mission,
but he indicated that could change if police asked for help.
   Both Aristide loyalists and opponents have threatened violence if
weapons aren't taken away from their enemies.   U.S. forces in Haiti, about
1,600 strong, have a limited set of circumstances during which they can use
deadly force. They cannot stop looting, even of American companies. Nor can
they stop Haitian-on-Haitian violence, officials said.
   Their mission is to protect key sites, like government buildings and the
airport, to pave the way for an eventual U.N. peacekeeping force.
   Yet they find themselves getting dragged into policing the troubled
nation, which is deeply divided among various rebel groups and militant
Aristide supporters.
   U.S. Marines started arriving Feb. 29, the day Aristide left. There are
also 800 French Legionnaires and police, 130 Chilean troops and 70
Canadians as of Tuesday.
   In the worst violence since Aristide left, gunmen opened fire on
anti-Aristide protesters Sunday, killing six people and wounding more than
30. U.S. Marines said they killed one gunman.
   Late Monday, Marines shot and killed the driver of a car speeding toward
a checkpoint. A passenger was wounded.
   In Washington, the U.S. Defense Department defended the Marines, saying
they acted within their orders to fire when they felt threatened.
   Hijackings and robberies have been common at roadblocks since Haiti's
uprising began. Motorists -- including journalists -- often speed through
checkpoints to avoid attacks by pro-Aristide militants and rebels.
   Aristide was a wildly popular slum priest, elected on promises to
champion the poor who make up the vast majority of Haiti's 8 million
people. But he has lost support, with Haitians saying he failed to improve
their lives, condoned corruption and used police and armed supporters to
attack political opponents.
   Supreme Court Chief Justice Boniface Alexandre was installed officially
Monday as interim president. He made a plea for calm.
   U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Tuesday that he hopes the
international community will have the patience and stamina necessary to
commit to Haiti "for the long haul."
   "It's going to take time, it's going to take lots of hard work," he told
the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. "And we should not expect to do a Band-Aid
job for two years or so, and then turn around and leave, only to have to
return."