21147: (Chamberlain) Deja vu? Powell's visit gives Haitians high hopes (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Greg Chamberlain <GregChamberlain@compuserve.com>

     By Joseph Guyler Delva

     PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, April 6 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State
Colin Powell's visit to Haiti this week has filled some Haitians with high
hopes the poorest country in the Americas will finally be fit to live in --
with fewer slums, more jobs and even paved roads.
     Powell promised on Monday to help Haiti forge a "new beginning" after
a bloody revolt in February overthrew ex-President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
But some remain wary, saying they had heard it all before.
     The United States occupied Haiti from 1915 to 1934, and led an
invasion of the Caribbean country to restore Aristide to power a decade ago
after a coup.
     "I have hope the U.S. will fix the situation here. I know they have
the resources to do that," said mother of three Carole Lotin, 26, as she
bit into a piece of bread in a dirty Port-au-Prince market place.
     "If Colin Powell and President Bush want to transform Haiti into a
little Miami, that can happen rapidly," she said confidently, recalling how
Powell had promised to help "build a future of hope" for the Haitian
people.
     Maxon Janvier, 30, who lives in Cite Leternel, a Port-au-Prince slum,
said he had never worked in his life.
     But he believes the U.S. commitment to bringing democracy and
prosperity to Haiti, as promised by Powell, would give him a better chance
to finally find a job.
     "Haiti is poor because a majority of people like me are poor. So if
Haiti should become prosperous, (slums like) Cite Leternel, Cite Soleil ...
will have to disappear," he said.
     Living conditions are wretched for the majority of Haiti's 8 million
population. One in two Haitians earns less than $1 a day -- not enough to
fill their hungry bellies.
     But in a country where hope is what keeps most people going, Powell's
promises may run the risk of leaving many disappointed.
     "The United States occupied Haiti in 1915. They came back in 1994, but
nothing has changed, we are still the poorest," said Mackensie Normil, 34.
     "But they are the world superpower, so we have to wait and see," he
said, sitting on a bench near the National Palace and wondering how he
would feed his two children for the day.