20504: Esser: Freeze a bad idea, PJ tells Haiti PM (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: D. Esser torx@joimail.com

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

March 17, 2004

Freeze a bad idea, PJ tells Haiti PM
'Haiti will hurt itself'

Jamaica yesterday warned Haiti's interim leader, Gerard Latortue,
that he is more likely to hurt his own country than the region by his
declared freeze on relations with the Caribbean Community (Caricom).

At the same time, Prime Minister P J Patterson yesterday betrayed
scepticism of the emerging accusations from "our erstwhile partners"
against Haiti's overthrown leader, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, when they
were not so long ago willing to sit with him in hemispheric councils.

Patterson did not name the partners to whom he referred, nor the
specific allegations they have raised against Aristide. But there was
little doubt that his reference was to the United States, Canada and
France which, in recent weeks, have criticised not only Aristide's
quality of governance while he held office but has sought to link his
administration to drug trafficking and thievery.

"There is machinery within our hemispheric institutions, when such
allegations can be substantiated, for a process to be triggered
whereby a final determination is made," Patterson told Parliament in
response to questions from Opposition Leader Edward Seaga.

"If the verdict is unfavourable then both by the declaration to
which we have subscribed in the Quebec Summit and by the provisions
of the democratic charter of the OAS, such a leader would be
considered unfit to precipitate in the deliberation of our
hemispheric body," he added.

Patterson's retort came after he had made a statement to the House on
Jamaica's and Caricom's involvement in the Haitian decision to allow
Aristide to stay in Jamaica for up to 10 weeks - a decision that drew
criticism from the United States and was branded as an "unfriendly
act" by Latortue.

In retaliation, Latortue said he was withdrawing Haiti's ambassador
to Jamaica and putting on hold its relationship with the Community,
which his country joined in 1998.

"Although we have not received any official communication to this
effect from Haitian authorities, any such action can only have
negative consequences for the long-term economic and social
development of the Haitian people," Patterson told legislators.

Caricom, a 15-member economic and political bloc, currently chaired
by Patterson, felt itself betrayed by the United States, France and
Canada over their behaviour in the Haitian crisis.
Having initially supported a Community initiative that would have
kept Aristide in office for the remaining two years of his presidency
but cause him to share power with the Opposition, the Western troika
jettisoned the plan and joined Opposition groups in demanding his
resignation.

Aristide has claimed that he was all but kidnapped by US forces on
February 29 and bundled out of the country to the Central African
Republic until his return to Jamaica on Monday. The United States had
vehemently denied the claim and said that it was at Aristide's
request it provided security and transportation for him to leave
Haiti ahead of advancing rebels.

Although Caricom initially called for an international investigation
into the manner of Aristide's departure, it has since recognised the
situation on the ground in Haiti and Patterson made clear that
Aristide's stay in Jamaica was on humanitarian grounds. It was to
allow the ousted president and wife Mildred to reunite with their two
young children.

"I made it clear to Mr Aristide that I did not expect him to use his
stay in Jamaica to engage in any political or other activities
inimical to the fragile stability and order which were being
established in Haiti," Patterson told the House. ". I anticipate that
he will use his time here in Jamaica to finalise arrangements for the
relocation of his family and himself to another country which is
prepared to receive him on a long-term basis."

In the aftermath of his Parliamentary statement, Patterson was asked
by Seaga if it had come to the attention of Caricom that there were
grounds laid down by the Haitian Opposition why they did not want
Aristide to remain in office.
The prime minister's response was that there were a number of
allegations made, which perhaps could be summed up "in the simple
term, that they did not trust Aristide".

"It is not an unusual allegation for persons in Opposition to make of
any duly constituted government," Patterson said.

Asked by Seaga whether Caricom had a back-up in the event the
initiative they had placed on the table failed, Patterson said what
was proposed, in the opinion of the Community, had "all the
ingredients" to preserve the constitutional framework of Haiti,
promote democratic governance and create a situation where free and
fair elections could be held in an atmosphere of stability.

"We were prepared, after discussions, had the Opposition parties
brought proposals to the table, to consider the effect of those
proposals, but there were certain fundamental principles which we
made clear from the start," Patterson said. "That is to say, we were
never going to support a coup d'etat, in any shape or form.

"...We did make it clear, however, that if in the event President
Aristide chose voluntarily to submit his resignation then that was a
reality with which we would have to deal and the provision within the
Constitution would then have to be triggered and come into effect."

The sticking point with the Haitian Opposition, Patterson explained
to Seaga, was their insistence of the removal of Aristide before the
expiry of his term in February 2006.

"We, for our part, made it clear that we did not intend to be a party
to seeking to remove president Aristide from office prematurely and,
I would say that when the group met in Washington (in mid-February)
that was a position to which the US, Canada, and the OAS fully
subscribed and which was conveyed by representatives of those
governments and institutions to Haiti and supported by an invitation
that we who were a party to those proposals would provide a guarantee
to ensure that they would work effectively," Patterson said.
.