21364: Esser: Q&A with Anthony Fenton #1: Rules of Engagement (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: D. Esser torx@joimail.com

The Dominion
http://dominionpaper.ca

April 15, 2004

Haiti Q&A with Anthony Fenton #1: Rules of Engagement

[In the coming weeks, I'll be conducting a long-form debriefing
interview with Anthony Fenton, who recently returned from Haiti. The
goal is to get relevant information into public view. If you have any
questions you'd like to ask Anthony, add them in the comments section
below.]

What are the official rules of engagement for US and Canadian troops
operating in Haiti? Can you talk about some examples of how their
military power is used?

Essentially, all 'multinational' troops operating currently in Haiti
fall under the rubric of the UN Security Council mandated force,
effective March 1st, 2004. The US has of course been overseeing this
force. The following summarizes neatly the rules of engagement that
the US have been following since March 11th:

U.S. Marines sent to quell violence in Haiti have received new orders
to seize guns from Haitians they encounter on patrol and to open
fire, if necessary, to prevent further killings, the senior American
commander in the region said yesterday." (Washington Post)

I endured a 2.5 hour meeting with Canadian Ambassador to Haiti
Kenneth Cook, who made it clear that Canada was under US tutelage
militarily speaking. He pointed out that Canada and the US differed
from France, who have rules of engagement that explicitly precludes
firing unless fired upon. Canada and the US, as the report quoted
above suggests, can "preemptively" fire upon those who present a
danger to them.

The timing of these new "formal rule changes" were supposedly in
response to "ongoing bloodshed and the assertive tactics". From this
same article we hear from CIA Director George Tenet:

What concerns me is the possibility that the interim government,
backed by international forces, will have trouble establishing
order," Tenet told the Senate Armed Services Committee. "A cycle of
clashes and revenge killings could easily be set off, given the large
number of angry, well-armed people on both sides.

Pro-Aristide militants I spoke to seemed baffled by the insistence
that are "well-armed". One militant commented that there would not
have been a coup had they been equipped to stave off the encroachment
of "rebel" forces.

In any case, on March 12th, with new formal rules of engagement in
hand, numerous parties have told me that international forces
undertook targeted killings of Aristide supporters in the poorest
areas in and around Port-au-Prince, such as Belair, La Salline, and
Cite Soleil. Currently, a number of people are compiling testimony,
photographs of morgues (dating back to March 1st where there were at
least 1000 corpses reported to be filling local morgues), and other
concrete evidence to expose these brutal atrocities that US Marines
definitely took part in, and Canadian forces may have taken part in.

Having properly instilled the fear of the US and Canadian military
machine into Lavalas supporters, a different climate is emerging,
where these forces are trying to give the appearance of friendliness,
helpfulness, in general, that they are there for the good of Haitians.

Had these forces not fired upon demonstrators and then stormed into
their neighbourhoods into the dead of night with guns blazing, we
might currently be seeing a different environment of resistance to
the occupation. The US military made it clear after March 11th that
there were to be no more demonstrations in Port au Prince. The Haiti
Information Project's photographs on http://www.haitiaction.net
foreshadow the violent military reaction to the last of the
demonstrations.

My impression from those being targeted for persecution is those who
have seized power are kidding themselves if they think they can
silence the democratic impulses in Haiti for long. The militants I
spoke with are adamant that while they may be stepping back in the
face of obvious and immediate reprisal, they are not stepping down.
They are observing things and are very confident that, should
illegitimate elections arise from the Boca Raton Regime, the masses
will not allow such elections to proceed.

A final note: the UN mandate was to be for 90 days. Brazil is slated
to take this over in June, but Canada's Minister for Defense hinted
while visiting Haiti the other day that Canada's presence could be
extended. This should please the military hawks. Canada's presence in
Haiti during an election run-up, as things stand, might benefit the
Liberals. That is, if they see the Conservative Party as their
primary opposition. As we saw on the "Take Note Debate" on Haiti in
the house of Commons March 8th, Conservatives are only concerned
about increasing military spending, and have harshly criticized the
Liberals for cutting defense spending. A sustained force in Haiti
contributes to quelling such criticism.

posted by dru in haiti