20641: (Chamberlain) French soldier dies in Haiti gun incident (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Greg Chamberlain <GregChamberlain@compuserve.com>

     By Ibon Villelabeitia

     PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, March 21 (Reuters) - A multinational force in
revolt-torn Haiti suffered its first casualty when a French legionnaire was
killed after a gun accidentally fired, the commanding general said on
Sunday.
     "I understand it was an accidental discharge," said U.S. Marine Corp.
Brig. Gen. Ronald Coleman, head of the 3,000-strong U.N.-sanctioned
deployment.
     "It wasn't a Haitian or anyone else shooting at the Frenchman," he
told Reuters. "It was one of their own."
     Few details were available about the incident -- the first fatality
since the force landed on Feb. 29 to restore order after President
Jean-Bertrand Aristide was driven into exile by an armed revolt and U.S.
pressure.
     A week ago, a U.S. Marine was shot in the arm by gunmen in
Port-au-Prince thought to be supporters of Aristide, many of whom are
enraged by the ouster of the poor Caribbean country's first democratically
elected leader.
     French spokesman Xavier Pons confirmed there had been an accident but
said he had no details.
     Other military officials said they thought the death occurred on
Saturday in the gritty port city of Gonaives, in Haiti's northwest, where
144 French legionnaires deployed the previous day as the force extended its
grip beyond the capital.
     Gonaives was where an armed street gang launched the revolt against
Aristide on Feb. 5. Joined by former soldiers and one-time death squad
leaders, the rebellion spread through the north.
     An uneasy calm has settled over much of Haiti in the past week,
despite Aristide's return to the region on a visit to nearby Jamaica, and
the new Haitian government's fears that his proximity could fuel dissent.
     Attacks on patrols by U.S. Marines have eased.