20138: (Hermantin)Miami-Herald-Haiti Council Picks New Prime Minister (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: leonie hermantin <lhermantin@hotmail.com>

Posted on Tue, Mar. 09, 2004


Haiti Council Picks New Prime Minister

PETER PRENGAMAN and IAN JAMES

Associated Press


PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - Haiti's U.S.-backed advisory council picked a former
U.N. official as the new prime minister Tuesday, two leading opposition
politicians told The Associated Press.

The appointment of Gerard Latortue, also reported by Haitian radio stations,
was a step toward forming a transitional government and eventually
organizing elections in this troubled nation.

The decision came as loyalists demanding the return of exiled President
Jean-Bertrand Aristide set up flaming barricades and stoned cars.

Also, the U.S. Marines said they will begin helping Haitian police disarm
rebel groups, a tall order in a country where all sides are threatening to
resume the rebellion.

Marine Col. Charles Gurganus called on Haitians to tell peacekeepers who has
weapons and to turn in 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.

Gurganus said Haitian police will lead disarmament efforts, but starting
Wednesday, peacekeepers will assist in getting "the weapons off the street."

The U.S. military also announced a second death caused by American Marines,
who, with French Legionnaires, form the vanguard of a U.N. peacekeeping
mission.

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.

An official announcement on the prime minister was expected early Wednesday,
but two officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that
Latortue was the final choice.

The council was chosen to pick the new prime minister, who - along with
interim President Boniface Alexandre - will try to build a new government
for Haiti.

Latortue, who served as foreign minister in 1988 to former President Leslie
Manigat, was set to replace Prime Minister Yvon Neptune. He still must
formally accept the offer, and it was unclear if he was in Haiti or Florida,
where he was living.

Neptune stayed in his post even after his boss, former President
Jean-Bertrand Aristide, fled the country Feb. 29. Aristide opponents have
demanded that Neptune be replaced.

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, 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."

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."

The U.N. resident representative in Haiti, Adama Guindo, said Tuesday he was
working with U.S. Marines to devise a disarmament plan.

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.

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.

In Washington, the Pentagon said Marines in both incidents were acting
within orders.

"An individual Marine ... has an absolute right to defend himself and those
around him," said Marine Gen. Peter Pace, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs
of Staff.

U.S. forces in Haiti, about 1,600 strong, have limits on their powers: They
cannot stop looting, even of American companies, nor can they use force to
halt Haitian-on-Haitian violence.

Their mission is to protect key sites, like government buildings and the
airport, and to pave the way for the U.N. force.

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.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.

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