20876: (Hermantin)Miami-Herald-CARICOM may opt to do nothing in its relations with new (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: leonie hermantin <lhermantin@hotmail.com>

Posted on Fri, Mar. 26, 2004

CARICOM may opt to do nothing in its relations with new Haitian government

By JACQUELINE CHARLES

jcharles@herald.com


BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - Torn over Haiti, a summit of Caribbean Community
leaders Friday was considering simply doing nothing to either recognize or
reject the government that replaced its democratically elected president.

The do-nothing proposal appeared to have come from The Bahamas, less than
100 miles from Haiti, which maintained steady relations with Port-au-Prince
throughout its long and turbulent history of coups and rebellions.

''Our diplomats have remained there and the question of announcing
recognition didnt even arise, said Bahamanian Foreign Minister Fred
Mitchell. ``We just worked with who was in effective control . . . That is
just the way it has been.'' Leaders of the 15-member CARICOM regional bloc
resumed closed-door talks Friday morning on whether to recognize the new
government of Haiti, a member state that saw President Jean-Bertrand
Aristide resign Feb. 29 amid a bloody revolt.

A former legal advisor to Aristide urged the CARICOM leaders Friday to deny
diplomatic recognition to new Prime Minister Gerard Latortue, calling it a
''puppet'' government placed in power by the United States and France.

''I am here to ask that CARICOM not only not support and recognize the
illegitimate government but support the reinstatement and reinstallation of
President Aristide, the only elected and legitimate government of the
Haitian people,'' Marguerite Laurent said during a news conference here.

But several Caribbean leaders said the consensus at the summit was leaning
toward avoiding the entire issue of recognition, which could be either a
huge victory or an embarrassing defeat for the Latortue cabinet.

CARICOM simply can remain mum on the issue while continuing with previously
announced plans to assist the Haitian people by sending in humanitarian aid
and contributing troops to a U.N. peacekeeping force that would replace the
current U.S.-led multilateral military force within two months.

Before last week, CARICOM leaders seemed poised to put aside their concerns
over Aristide's allegations that U.S. officials had forced him to resign on
Feb. 29 and ''kidnapped'' him to exile in Africa.

But they grew angry after his statements threatening to suspend relations
with CARICOM -- in retaliation for Jamaica's agreement to host Aristide for
a visit -- and defending some of the notoriously brutal rebel leaders who
helped drive him out as ``freedom fighters.''

''You cant embrace an administration that says it embraces people that wish
to overthrow an administration by violence,'' Mitchell said. ``That is a
problem.''

''It is difficult to engage with someone who doesnt want to engage with
you,'' Mitchell added. ``The interim prime minister of Haiti made the
position quite clear.''

Asked about media reports about U.S. threats of reprisals against Jamaica
for hosting Aristide, Jamaican Prime Minister P.J. Patterson said, ``I hope
it doesnt come to that.''

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