21790: Esser: There is a price, Mr LaTortue (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: D. Esser torx@joimail.com

Jamaica Observer
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com

May 09, 2004

Editorial
There is a price, Mr LaTortue

Haiti's interim prime minister, Mr Gerard LaTortue, may be finally
coming to his senses. Either that or he fancies himself as a smart
Aleck, three-card trickster who can blithely weasel his way out of a
conundrum of his own creation.

In Washington last week Mr LaTortue appealed for help and support
from the Caribbean Community (Caricom), the 15-member regional bloc
of which Haiti is a member and against which he was lately aiming
disparaging statements.

Having initially signed up to a Caricom plan to end the political
crisis in Haiti, the United States, France and the new Canadians in
February walked away from the plan that would have required President
Aristide to cohabit with the official opposition.

The Caricom initiative was significant in one important respect. It
would have sent a signal that democratic institutions in Haiti do not
have to be demolished every time they fall under stress. It was to
help Haiti to dismount this treadmill of instability and to build its
institutions of democracy that Caricom allowed it into the club.

Unfortunately, the Haitian opposition, which apparently did not see
its, and Haiti's, interest in the broad, transformational context
perceived by Caricom, remained intransigent. Incredibly, too, this
powerful Western troika claimed that it could no longer support the
Caricom initiative because the opposition was not in favour.

The upshot was that Mr Aristide was forced out of office in what he
described as a "political kidnapping" engineered by the United
States. The Americans insist that he resigned. Caricom, its
initiative sidelined and having received no support at the United
Nations for a peacekeeping force to push back an insurgency mounted
by drug smugglers and former death squad leaders, smelled a coup and
asked for an investigation.

Despite the region's reservations, once Mr LaTortue was installed
Caricom, led by Prime Minister Patterson, began a subtle shift in
policy, taking into account the reality on the ground in Haiti. Mr
Patterson was prepared to welcome Mr LaTortue to Kingston to discuss
the situation in Haiti and the process for a return to democracy.

But Mr LaTortue, flush with his own sense of importance, and
seemingly playing to the gallery, was denouncing Jamaica's decision
to provide temporary asylum to Mr Aristide and declaring that Caricom
had on too many occasions hurt Haiti. Chest-thumpingly, he announced
the withdrawal of Haiti's ambassador from Jamaica and the freezing
relations with Caricom.

But this act of patently poor political judgment and imbecilic
pursuance of foreign policy was to go further. Mr LaTortue was to
appear on the same platform with the insurgent leaders to declare
them liberators. And with a mandate to promote reconciliation in
Haiti, he has frozen members of Mr Aristide's Lavalas party out of
government.

With the setting in of the realities of global politics, Mr LaTortue
soon sought to be embraced by the same Caricom he had so derided,
claiming misinterpretation of his earlier statements about the
Community. Now, he wants "misunderstandings to be left behind".
We are in favour of Haiti being brought back into the Caricom fold.
But it has to pass certain tests.

If Mr LaTortue is serious, he should apologise to the Community for
his rude assertions about Caricom and seek to create an agenda of
trust. He needs to state clearly the steps to be taken for a return
to democracy in Haiti, with a definitive timetable.

He has to distance himself and his government from the thugs who led
the insurgency against Mr Aristide; ensure that they are arrested;
and open the way for Lavalas partisans to be part of the process for
a democratic Haiti.
Mr LaTortue can't expect to eat his cake and still have it.
.