20529: (Chamberlain) French say berets keep bullets away in Haiti (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Greg Chamberlain <GregChamberlain@compuserve.com>

     By Ibon Villelabeitia

     PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, March 17 (Reuters) - French troops patrolling
the dodgy streets of Haiti have some advice for heavily armed U.S. Marines
who have come under fire -- greet slum dwellers with a "bonjour" and wear a
beret, not a helmet.
     "We have a different military culture. No grenades, no jackets, no
helmets, only berets. Sometimes a 'bonjour' can make the perception of the
invader disappear," said Xavier Pons, public affairs officer for the French
forces.
     He said they have not been shot at a single time.
     The Americans, however, say it's not a matter of style. U.S. Marines
patrol dangerous areas after dark while Haiti's former colonial masters
keep to the daylight, they say.
     "You can say there is a helmet approach and a beret approach, but we
patrol Belair at night," said spokesman for the international force, U.S.
Marine Lt. Col. Dave Lapan, referring to the fiercely pro-Aristide slum,
teeming with armed gangs, where a Marine was shot in the arm on Sunday.
     "If you are wearing a beret and have a pistol and you come under fire,
you won't be able to defend yourself and it is more likely that you will
suffer casualties," he said.
     U.S. troops make up the bulk of a 2,700-strong international force
sent into Haiti after former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was ousted on
Feb. 29.
     The Marines, who rumble through the tense, garbage-strewn streets in
full combat gear, wearing helmets and flak jackets, their automatic rifles
at the ready, have fought half a dozen battles with suspected pro-Aristide
gangs.
     They have a few native Creole speakers to break the ice with locals,
but more often than not, the only words a Haitian hears from U.S. soldiers
is: "Stand back, sir, stand back."
     The French, who have 800 gendarmes and legionnaires on the ground,
patrol more lightly, wearing berets and sometimes carrying pistols. They
rarely seem to leave their trucks.
     For many slum dwellers angry at the ouster of Aristide, considered a
hero among the poor, there is no difference between U.S. and French forces.
     Americans and French troops are regularly heckled with "Go Home!" by
protesters. Haiti this year marked its 200th anniversary of independence,
and many deride the French as colonialists in comments to reporters.
     "This is our country, man. I don't want Americans and French in
Haiti," said Michael Louis, a slum artist with thick dreadlocks. "I am
Haitian."
     Pons said the French have no plans to go to Belair after dark for the
time being.
     "We operate according to the situation in each country. American
soldiers operate the same in Haiti and in Iraq," he said.
     At odds over the Iraq war, the United States and France have joined
forces in Haiti as part of a U.N.-sanctioned peace mission. U.S. and French
soldiers sometimes carry out joint patrols. There are also troops from
Canada and Chile, which also say they have not been fired upon.