21122: Esser: Powell Says the U.S. Weighs Prosecution of Aristide on Corruption Charges (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: D. Esser torx@joimail.com

The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com

April 6, 2004

On Visit to Haiti, Powell Says the U.S. Weighs Prosecution of
Aristide on Corruption Charges
By CHRISTOPHER MARQUIS

ORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, April 5 — Secretary of State Colin L. Powell
said during a visit here on Monday that American judicial authorities
were looking into prosecuting the former Haitian president,
Jean-Bertrand Aristide, on corruption charges.

"There are inquiries being made by our judicial authorities in the
U.S. to see if there is any evidence of wrongdoing on his part," Mr.
Powell said in a joint news conference with the new interim prime
minister, Gérard Latortue.

Mr. Aristide went into exile in February after widespread violence
and looting here. An American indictment against him on drug
trafficking or other international charges would further inflame
political tensions between those who contend that he was forced into
exile by American troops and others, like Mr. Powell, who assert that
the Americans saved his life.

Mr. Aristide, who was flown to the Central African Republic aboard an
American-leased plane, has since returned to the region as an
official guest of the government of Jamaica. The return of Mr.
Aristide, a populist former priest, has unsettled Bush administration
officials who are trying to establish security and bolster the
authority of Mr. Latortue's interim government.

To help maintain order in Haiti, the United States has sent 1,940
troops, the Pentagon says, France has sent more than 800, Canada more
than 400 and Chile more than 300. Administration officials have said
they expect to cap the American presence at about its present level,
and would welcome 2,000 or 3,000 troops from other countries.

Mr. Powell, who came for a one-day visit to show the administration's
continuing commitment to Haiti's recovery, opposed a request by the
15-nation Caribbean Community for the United Nations to investigate
the terms of Mr. Aristide's departure from Haiti.

"I don't think any purpose would be served by such an inquiry," he
said. "We were on the verge of a blood bath and President Aristide
found himself in great danger."

The Caribbean Community nations have refused to recognize the
Latortue government, causing considerable embarrassment to the Bush
administration, which had counted on their cooperation for police
training and security.

Mr. Powell, who toured a medical clinic here and posed for
photographs with American troops, said, "I will be working hard to
reintegrate Haiti in the Caribbean Community" in the weeks ahead.

Mr. Latortue, a former international business consultant, announced
Monday that Haiti would hold parliamentary and presidential elections
in 2005. He said he would set to work on establishing a provisional
electoral council after Easter.

He expressed gratitude toward the United States even as he
underscored the dire situation his country faces "The country is in a
state of total bankruptcy," he said. "The state is totally
demolished."

Mr. Powell said the Bush administration would provide $9 million to
the Organization of American States to promote democratic practices,
in addition to $55 million in aid for Haiti's people for the current
fiscal year. A donors' conference is likely to be held by this summer
to promote contributions from other nations and mulilateral lenders.

Mr. Powell urged Haitians to "seize this new chance to put this
country firmly on the path to peace and development."
.