20348: Lewis: Various news items on new Haitian PM Gerard Latortue (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: David E. Lewis <DavidLewis@manchestertrade.com>

Various news items on new Haitian PM Gerard Latortue

New Haiti prime minister arrives
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (Reuters)
http://www.FT.com - Thu 11 March, 2004

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (Reuters) - Haiti's new interim prime minister has
flown into his revolt-torn country and promised to improve security as
U.S. Marines said they killed two more Haitian gunmen.

The latest shootings, which took place Tuesday night near the prime
minister's office, underscore growing attacks against U.S. troops
heading an international mission to quell chaos and looting after a
rebellion and international pressure drove President Jean-Bertrand
Aristide into exile on February 29.

"Marines were conducting a security patrol outside the Prime Minister's
residence. ... They walked into this one neighbourhood ... and they were
taken under fire by gunmen from two separate rooftops, more or less an
ambush. The Marines returned fire immediately," said Col. Mark Gurganus,
commander of the U.S. Marines in Haiti.

The Marines came under fire again from a different rooftop when they
returned to the scene hours later with Haitian police to remove the
bodies. They found blood, shell casings and impact marks, but no bodies,
Gurganus said.

The attacks came hours after a U.S.-backed council selected Gerard
Latortue as interim prime minister until elections are held. The
Haitians were the third and fourth slain by U.S. forces in their
weeklong presence here, which has angered Aristide supporters who regard
them as an occupation force.

In a separate incident also on Tuesday night, U.S. Marines guarding
Port-au-Prince's port from looting, fired at three men who had descended
from a vehicle that sped toward a Marine checkpoint. The gunmen fled on
foot. There were no casualties.

In Washington, Army Gen. James Hill, who oversees the Haiti operation as
head of Miami-based U.S. Southern Command, said U.S. Marines, numbering
about 1,600, plan to hunt down caches of illegal firearms as part of a
new effort to disarm gunmen. There are 2,300 troops and gendarmes in the
force, from the United States, France, Canada and Chile.

MARINES TO GO AFTER WEAPONS
"As we develop intelligence and can find weapons caches, we are going to
go after those," Hill said. "This is to do two things. First, it's a
force-protection issue for my forces. And, secondly, it is to help
develop a more secure and stable environment inside Haiti."

Latortue, a former foreign minister and Aristide critic who replaces
Yvon Neptune, returned to Haiti from Florida, where he had been living.
He was picked by a council of "wise men" charged with steering the
Caribbean country toward political stability.

Minutes after he arrived in the heavily armed airport he said he might
set up a committee to study whether or not Haiti should again create an
army, a key demand of the former soldiers who joined the armed revolt
that forced Aristide out.

Aristide, a former slum priest, fled to Africa as rebels closed in on
the capital, leaving behind shooting and looting. More than 200 people
have been killed since the anti-Aristide revolt erupted on February 5,
triggered by a street gang and joined by former soldiers and
paramilitaries.

In a reminder of simmering trouble, crowds of Aristide loyalists danced
and sang in some of Port-au-Prince's sprawling slums, demanding the
return of the ex-priest they view as the liberator of Haiti's poor after
decades of dictatorship and maltreatment by wealthy elites.

"Our blood is Aristide's blood," one crowd chanted.

"Aristide in the only one who looked after us. He is our president for
five years and we are going to continue to protest peacefully, without
weapons," said one local, Jackson Francois.

Told of the appointment of Latortue, a member of Haiti's traditional
political class, residents of another slum were dismissive. "They got to
get rid of these old guys. Bring in someone new. Old system, old
traditions, it doesn't work," said one resident, Clifford Pierre.

In one slum, a man's body lay in the middle of a road, his head either
smashed by bullets or chopped by a machete. Traffic slowed but did not
stop.

Aristide -- a hero of democracy when he helped oust the Duvalier
dictatorship in the 1980s but later accused of corruption and political
violence -- is in the Central African Republic and has urged supporters
to "peacefully" resist what he calls a U.S. "occupation."

Latortue, 69, was expected to be sworn in and to select a cabinet this
week. Members of Aristide's ousted government cautioned him against
excluding members of Aristide's Lavalas Family party.

Latortue sworn in as new Haiti leader
By IAN JAMES
Associated Press
http://www.herald.com - March 12, 2004

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - Former Haitian exile Gerard Latortue was sworn
in Friday as the country's prime minister, promising to united the
country after months of bloodshed and political strife that led to the
ouster of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

Under heavy security, Latortue took the oath of office in front of a
crowd of 200 people, saying he was happy to serve his country.

"This is an occasion for hope for all Haitians," he said. "Together we
will form a responsible government that respects its institutions, and I
will see that every dollar given to development projects will be well
spent."

Latortue, 69, is a former U.N. official and business consultant who
arrived in Haiti on Wednesday after living in Florida.

He spent much of the 29-year Duvalier family dictatorship, which ended
in 1986, in exile. He became foreign minister in 1988 for former
President Leslie Manigat, who was toppled in a military coup.

Earlier, Latortue told pro-Aristide politicians that he wants to hold
legislative elections in six to eight months, Cabinet Minister Leslie
Voltaire said. He also criticized Jamaica's decision to host ousted
President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who was expected to return to the
region early next week from exile in Africa.

Latortue told reporters that Aristide is no longer Haiti's leader,
dampening speculation that the former leader's trip might lead to
negotiations for the his return. Aristide insists he remains Haiti's
legitimate president.

Latortue said Friday that news of Aristide's planned return to the
region had caused "an increase in the tensions in Port-au-Prince." He
said he told Jamaican Prime Minister P.J. Patterson that having Aristide
so close was viewed as "an unfriendly act."

Latortue spoke with Patterson by telephone, and said the Jamaican leader
told him Aristide "had no other place to go."

U.S. officials say Aristide asked for help and that they saved his life
by arranging his departure during a bloody rebellion.

Aristide has been reluctantly hosted by Central African Republic, after
fleeing Haiti on Feb. 29 aboard a U.S.-chartered aircraft. His African
hosts have made it clear they were providing only temporary asylum, as
Jamaica did Thursday.

Patterson said Aristide would visit, with his wife Mildred, for eight to
10 weeks to be reunited with their two young daughters, who were sent to
New York City for their safety. Foreign Minister K.D. Knight said
Aristide had been told not to use Jamaica as a staging post for any
desire to be reinstated in Haiti.

Patterson, chairman of the 15-nation Caribbean Community, has invited
Latortue to visit Jamaica this weekend for talks on Haiti. Latortue said
if he went, his trip would not overlap with Aristide's arrival.

A Caribbean summit in Jamaica last week called for a U.N. investigation
into the circumstances of Aristide's departure, a call echoed Wednesday
by the 53-nation African Union.

>From Africa, Aristide has urged his followers to offer "peaceful
resistance" to the U.S. "occupation."

The shadow of the diminutive Aristide, who came to power with fiery
rhetoric about ending misery and uplifting the poor, continued to hang
over the country, even as Latortue moved quickly to appoint a
transitional Cabinet and begin organizing new elections.

Earlier he reassured politicians from Aristide's Lavalas Family that
they would be part of the transitional government, Voltaire said.

"The opposition is trying to say that Lavalas doesn't exist anymore, and
it shouldn't participate," Voltaire complained.

He said he believes Lavalas continues to command majority support
"because it is the party of the poor."

Aristide was wildly popular when he became Haiti's first freely elected
leader in 1990, but he lost support as misery deepened and violence
increased.

The Toronto Sun reported Friday that Aristide's former security chief,
Oriel Jean, was arrested this week after he arrived from the Dominican
Republic, but Canadian officials refused to comment. Jean had his U.S.
visa revoked last year by officials who said he was suspected of drug
trafficking - charges he denied.

Rebel leader Guy Philippe said Friday that he planned to travel around
Haiti for several months "to know what my people want, to see how I can
help." Philippe, who fled to the Dominican Republic amid charges he was
plotting a coup in 2000, stressed he did not plan to run for office.

Also Friday, U.S.-led peacekeepers said Marines came under fire at an
industrial park producing garments for American companies, and gunmen
shot up a nearby car dealership overnight. Friday morning, U.S. Marines
trained their rifles on workers and checked identity papers at the
industrial park, acting on reports gunmen were planning to confiscate
paychecks.

No injuries were reported.

The U.S. State Department warned Americans not to travel to Haiti
because of "the potential for looting, roadblocks set by armed gangs,
and violent crime.

Premier begins Cabinet picks
Meeting with diplomats and Haiti's interim president, the new prime
minister begins picking key aides. And the exiled president will visit
Jamaica to review his options.
BY JACQUELINE CHARLES - jcharles@herald.com
http://www.herald.com - March 12, 2004

PORT-AU-PRICE -- Haiti's new prime minister began choosing a Cabinet
Thursday as former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide revealed plans to
visit neighboring Jamaica and end his exile in the Central African
Republic.

More than 1,000 Aristide loyalists marched into downtown Port-au-Prince
to push their demands for the former president's return. Shots rang out
during the march and police used tear gas to disperse the protesters.
Two men were killed and seven were injured, The Associated Press
reported.

Jamaican Prime Minister P.J. Patterson said Aristide had requested and
been granted permission to visit Jamaica next week so that he and his
wife, Mildred, could meet with their two young daughters, now living in
New York.

''I want to emphasize that Mr. Aristide is not seeking political asylum
in Jamaica,'' Patterson said in a statement. ``His stay . . . is not
expected to be in excess of eight to 10 weeks. He is engaged in
finalizing arrangements for permanent residence outside of the region.''

ROUND OF MEETINGS
Patterson's announcement came on the same day that Gerard Latortue, a
south Florida resident until his designation as prime minister on
Tuesday, began his first full day in Haiti by meeting with interim
President Boniface Alexandre and foreign diplomats.

As Latortue moved from meeting to meeting, a group of advisors weighed
potential candidates for a new Cabinet that will govern Haiti until a
new president is elected.

Latortue was chosen from a group of three finalists by the seven-member
''council of sages,'' which has been charged with filling the power
vacuum left by Aristide when he resigned on Feb. 29.

STRAINED RELATIONS
Patterson and other leaders of the 15-member Caribbean Community, which
includes Haiti, have attacked the United States and France for their
role in Aristide's resignation and demanded an independent
investigation.

Patterson said Latortue has asked to visit Jamaica later this month,
apparently to try to repair Haiti-Caricom relations strained by the
regional bloc's stand on Aristide.

At a news conference in Washington, U.S. supporters of Aristide who met
with him Monday in the Central African Republic said the former
president was isolated, with his communications tightly restricted.

Kim Ives said Aristide hoped to move to South Africa, ``where he would
be on the world stage, instead of a backwater, and would be heard.''

TARGET DATE NEAR
Latortue, an economist and South Florida cable TV show host, returned to
Haiti Wednesday along with Herard Abraham, a close friend and former
army general who was among the three finalists for the prime minister's
job. All are hoping to have a new Cabinet in place by the end of this
week.

It remained unclear Thursday exactly when the current prime minister,
Yvon Neptune, will officially hand power to Latortue. Neptune, an
Aristide ally, has been living in the prime minister's office under
protection of U.S. Marines and Haitian police.

Earlier this week, Neptune told The Herald he has no plans to leave
Haiti despite calls for his arrest by Guy Phillipe, one of the leaders
of a four-week rebellion against Aristide that left more than 130 dead
and the nation in tatters.

A spokesman for the U.S.-led multinational forces in Haiti declined to
say whether they will protect Neptune once he leaves office.

''We will continue to support the Haitian National Police at their key
sites. As they are reconstituted and able they will assume the role of
security,'' said U.S. Army Maj. Richard Crusan.

WEAPONS SEIZED
Crusan added that Chilean forces stopped a truck carrying weapons
Thursday afternoon in Port-au-Prince, the first gain in the
international forces' declared goal of rounding up weapons to help
restore security.

''We are waiting for the National Police to find out . . . what is going
on with these particular people,'' he said. ``I guess you can now say we
have become involved in the actual disarmament.''



--
Dr. David E. Lewis
Vice President
Manchester Trade Ltd.
International Business Advisors
1710 Rhode Island Avenue, NW - Suite 300
Washington, DC 20036
Tel 202-331-9464
Fax 202-785-0376
Email: DavidLewis@ManchesterTrade.com
http://www.ManchesterTrade.com