20651: radtimes: This unwise decision by Haiti regime (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: radtimes <resist@best.com>

This unwise decision by Haiti regime

http://www.nationnews.com/StoryView.cfm?Record=48272&Section=Life&Current=2004-03-19%2000%3A00%3A00

Friday 19, March-2004
by RICKEY SINGH

THE UNITED STATES-approved interim Prime Minister of Haiti, Gerard
LaTortue, has shown a surprising lack of appreciation for diplomacy and the
historical nature of Haitian-Caribbean Community relations when he
announced on Monday a freeze of Haiti's membership in CARICOM. It is an
unwise move, however engineered.

While official focus in Washington, primary sponsor of the interim regime
in Haiti, as well as in Port-au-Prince, is expediently designed to
specifically blame Jamaica for hosting ousted President Jean Bertrand
Aristide, the reality is that the George Bush administration has gone on
the offensive to foment division within CARICOM on the issue. But it will
not succeed.

None can be so politically obtuse not to understand the real reason: It has
to do with independent nations of CARICOM exercising their sovereign right,
collectively, to openly question the circumstances of Aristide's dramatic
departure from power and flight into exile on February 29.

Having decided at the Kingston emergency summit of Community Heads of
Government to call for a probe into the circumstances of Aristide's fall
from power, it was only logical for the Jamaica Prime Minister to have
granted the request of the Haitian leader for a temporary ten-week stay
with his family. He had signalled this initiative to CARICOM colleagues as
well as to the United States, Canada and France.

It would have been laughable, tragic really, had no CARICOM country,
Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago or else, agreed to grant a temporary
stay to Aristide and his family, while the United States continues to
refuse asylum to fleeing Haitian refugees while still "sheltering" former
Haitian political thugs and killers.

CARICOM leaders are finalising arrangements for their 15th Inter-Sessional
Meeting next week in St Kitts at which they are expected to press ahead
with their earlier decision to request a probe, under United Nations
auspices, to determine whether Aristide voluntarily "resigned", or was
forced out of office by the United States and France in the face of an
armed rebellion.

Gerard LaTortue may be de facto Prime Minister, but his own legitimacy
remains an issue in the continuing Haitian crisis, having been sworn in by
an interim President yet to be ratified by a non-functioning parliament.

In acting rather precipitately – under suspected Washington influence – to
freeze Haiti's relationship with CARICOM, knowing that the Community does
not at present "recognise" the regime of which he is a part, LaTortue may
well have contributed to the further isolation of Haiti.

LaTortue had requested a meeting with CARICOM's current chairman, Prime
Minister Patterson then declared he would no longer do so. He then set
about establishing a so-called "unity" cabinet that, astonishingly,
excluded any representation from Aristide's broadly-based and still very
popular Lavalas Party.

Within days, both Prime Minister Patterson and President Hugo Chavez of
Venezuela were separately declaring that their respective government did
not "recognise" the interim regime in Port-au-Prince.

Chavez also said he stood ready to grant asylum to "the lawfully elected"
President of Haiti. And Prime Minister Patterson has reminded that any
question of recognition of the post-Aristide regime in Haiti would have to
be a collective CARICOM decision at next week's Inter-Sessional Meeting in
St Kitts. I do not see this happening – not next week, in the prevailing
circumstances. We await the next move.

• Rickey Singh is a noted Caribbean journalist.

.