23904: Slavin: (news) Metropole Interview with Powell (121704 State Dept) (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

jps390@aol.com

http://usinfo.state.gov/wh/Archive/2004/Dec/08-774637.html

Powell Cites Security as Major Concern for Haiti's Government
Also discusses need for democratic reforms, national reconciliation

Because of persistent violence in Haiti, the task of creating a secure
environment "has to be the first priority" of the country's interim
government, says Secretary of State Colin Powell.

Interviewed December 1 in the Haitian capital city of Port-au-Prince by
reporter Rothchild François, of Radio Metropole and the Voice of America,
Powell described his meetings earlier that day with Haitian leaders and
United Nations officials, with whom he reviewed Haiti's security situation.
"I emphasized the need for the U.N. [peacekeeping] force" in Haiti "to
become more forceful in providing presence on the streets, in going after
those who are responsible for the violence," he said. "I talked about the
need for disarmament. These [criminal] groups have to be disarmed."

When the U.N. peacekeeping force increases in size during the month of
January, "I hope ... they will have a more active role in imposing proper
security conditions throughout the country," he added.

Asked about his views on the so-called "Baghdad Operation" launched by
armed supporters of former Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide, Powell
said: "I don't think there is a place now for Mr. Aristide" in deciding
Haiti's future. "I think Haiti has moved on," he explained. "I think the
proper way forward is with this interim government that has no political
ambition. All it wants to do is create conditions for a full, free, fair
election next year."

Aristide "is no longer on the scene," Powell remarked. "I hope that those
who supported him in the past will now realize it is time to support
national reconciliation. The needs of the Haitian people are greater than
any one individual or the needs of any one individual." He stressed the
importance of pursuing an agenda to help Haiti take control of its destiny,
to "focus on the future and not fight the battles of the past."

Meanwhile, as Haiti's leaders work to restore some measure of stability,
"the United States is doing everything it can for Haiti," Powell said. He
pointed to relief efforts underway in the north of Haiti, where massive
flooding occurred recently, noting that "we provided $46 million" to assist
those efforts. Also, "we're providing another $180 million in other direct
assistance," he confirmed. "We will provide more next year. We are
providing our support in the U.N. and with the international community, and
we are supporting the U.N. forces that are here. So I think we are
providing a great deal of support" to help Haiti recover from the severe
problems of a natural disaster and a political crisis.

On the subject of Haiti's economic growth, Powell declared that security,
economic development, and political reconciliation "go hand-in-hand."
Without security, he said, democracy cannot flourish --- and the economy
will not improve. "You have to have all three" elements in place, if Haiti
is to prosper, he added.

Powell urged Haitians to "keep the faith" while their country goes through
a difficult rebuilding process. "People are here to help you," he said, but
"you must do your part --- you must reject violence, you must push back on
those who would try to intimidate you, you must support the forces of
democracy and freedom, you must not go back to the past, you must look to
the future. As you look to the future, you will have a good friend standing
alongside you in the United States of America."

Following is a transcript of Powell's December 1 radio interview in
Port-au-Prince:

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 7, 2004

INTERVIEW

Secretary of State Colin L. Powell
With Rothchild François of Radio Metropole
and Voice of America

December 1, 2004
Port-au-Prince, Haiti

(3:00 a.m. EST)

MR. FRANÃ?OIS: Secretary Powell, it is a great honor to have this interview
with you. It might be the last one -- as Secretary of State. So, Mr.
Powell, you just came here to support the government and to see the
situation, and the first question will be on security. Security is a great
concern of the Haitian people; how to you see the situation regarding the
security issue?

SECRETARY POWELL: Security is a major concern. It has to be the first
priority of the government, the first priority of the U.N. forces that are
here, and the civilian police trainers that are here as well, and for the
Haitian national police. If people don't feel safe in their homes, if they
don't feel safe on the streets, or they don't feel it is safe to send their
children to school, then they won't have confidence in the government and
in the future. So in my conversations with the government leaders, the
president and the prime minister, and with the U.N. leaders here, I
emphasized the need for the U.N. force to become more forceful in providing
presence on the streets, in going after those who are responsible for the
violence. I talked about the need for disarmament. These groups have to be
disarmed. We really have to have a situation where only the government has
the weapons, not individual militias or individual criminals. So I hope
that as the U.N. force is now built up in size -- and it will get even
larger over the next month -- they will take a more active role in imposing
proper security conditions throughout the country.

MR. FRANÃ?OIS: What do you think of the Baghdad Operation launched by
Aristide supporters calling for his return to Haiti? This morning you were
at the National Palace and could hear some shots.

SECRETARY POWELL: I could hear some shots. I've heard shots before in my
life. They seemed not nearby, so they weren't terribly concerning to me. I
don't think there is a place now for Mr. Aristide. I think Haiti has moved
on. I think the proper way forward is with this interim government that has
no political ambition. All it wants to do is to create conditions for a
full, free, fair election next year. What the Haitian people need is to see
their leaders and people with different points of view participate in a
national dialogue, national reconciliation. And not just fight over these
different points of view, but to sit down and resolve them. And then take
the issue to the people in the form of an election -- a free election, an
open election, a fair election. And that is the only way to move forward.
Ex-President Aristide is no longer on the scene. I hope that those who
supported him in the past will now realize it is time to support national
reconciliation. The needs of the Haitian people are greater than any one
individual or the needs of any one individual.

MR. FRANÃ?OIS: Do you have a message for people who still believe Aristide
could still return to power in Haiti?

SECRETARY POWELL: I don't think, you know, it is not practical right now to
think in these terms. He is not here. And the government is moving on. The
international community is assembled with military presence, with police
presence, and with a great deal of money to help the Haitian people bring
in place a new freely elected government that will give them hope, give
them a belief in the future, but more than that, create jobs for them,
create security conditions for them. So this is not the time to think about
what might have been or who was here before, but to think about the future.
I think that the future is something we pray that our children will enjoy.
I think all the time about the children of Haiti and the kind of world they
should be enjoying as they grow up. It is a world that will be built by
this interim government and the government that is elected next year. And I
hope that all individuals in Haiti, all leaders in Haiti, all parties in
Haiti will focus on the future and not fight the battles of the past.

MR. FRANÃ?OIS: Mr. Powell, the security concerns (inaudible) the
organization of the election next year. If the situation deteriorates,
might the U.S. involve its military?

SECRETARY POWELL: No, there are no plans for the United States to send
military forces back in. There will be some 6,000 U.N. troops here, in
addition to the Haitian national police, which we are going to work with
the international community to build them up as soon as possible. They are
going to be responsible for security. I have just been briefed by the
military commanders and by Commander Beer, who is running the police part
of it. They believe it is within their capacity to put in place security
conditions that will permit an election next year.

MR. FRANÃ?OIS: If Haiti could expect nothing from the U.S. to stop the
Baghdad Operation of Aristide supporters?

SECRETARY POWELL: The United States is doing everything it can for Haiti.
We are providing a great deal of funding, we provided $46 million for
relief efforts in the areas that were flooded up north, we're providing
another $180 million in other direct assistance. We will provide more next
year. We are providing our support in the U.N. and with the international
community, and we are supporting the U.N. forces that are here. So I think
we are providing a great deal of support. But we are not going to support
those who continue to use violence, we are not going to support those who
are not committed to a democratic way of moving forward, who are not
committed to democracy, and we are not going to support those who are
trying to recover the past. The past was not pleasant. We have to remember
where we were last February. We were on the verge of a very violent civil
war -- and that was avoided. Now it is time to build and not go back to the
past and recreate the conditions that caused the problem in the first
place.

MR. FRANÃ?OIS: Mr. Powell, economic development is very important. Without
security we can't have economic development in Haiti.

SECRETARY POWELL: They go hand-in-hand -- security, economic development,
and political reconciliation. You have to have all three. They don't have
to be in sequence; you can work on all three at the same time. But
ultimately you must have security for the other two to pay off. You cannot
have a democratic system that is surrounded by the chaos of violence in the
streets. Now there is a security problem here in Haiti; it is a serious
one. But in my conversations, as I said, with the U.N. people who are here
and with your own government, there are plans being formulated and troop
presences increasing to deal with this security problem.

MR. FRANÃ?OIS: And regarding the economic issue, like aid. Last July, we
had an important meeting in Washington, and the government is still waiting
for the money. Will the U.S. government help Haiti get this money needed
for the Haitian people?

SECRETARY POWELL: The U.S. has committed $100 million, so far, of the money
we pledged. So the U.S. money is flowing. It has helped with your
infrastructure, provision of electricity, and other services. There will be
a meeting of the contributors from the July session you made reference to
that will take place in the middle of December and I hope that will release
additional funds to come to Haiti. As I said to the Prime Minister earlier,
the government has to be ready to receive these funds and use them in an
efficient and effective way. The people who give money to Haiti want to
make sure the money will be used properly and that they are satisfied that
the money will be going to the right priorities and to the right programs.
Yes, we will be encouraging, the United States will be encouraging these
international commitment-makers to now start delivering the funds.

MR. FRANÃ?OIS: Secretary Powell, you had a meeting with youth, talking
about HIV/AIDS. Today is World AIDS Day. Do you have a message for the
Haitian people and also the youth?

SECRETARY POWELL: Today is World AIDS Day and the United States has been
working hard throughout the world to combat this terrible disease.
President Bush has been in the forefront of this effort and has committed
us to $15 billion of funding for HIV/AIDS programs in the areas of
education, anti-retroviral drugs, condoms, creating programs that focus on
abstinence, but also on being faithful, proper use of condoms, and above
all, don't stigmatize those who have been hit by this disease. This is a
disease and it can be treated. People should be respected, even if they do
have HIV/AIDS; in fact, because of it they should be respected -- because
they are fellow human beings. So on this World AIDS Day, I just want to let
the people of Haiti know that the Untied States is committed and we will do
everything we can to help Haiti deal with the problem of HIV/AIDS. We
provided $20 million in funding this year and will be providing $40 million
next year.

MR. FRANÃ?OIS: Secretary Powell, you are (inaudible). You will leave office
next year. What can Haiti expect from you after leaving office?

SECRETARY POWELL: I will always be interested in what happens in Haiti.
When I was here ten years ago, with President Carter, to talk to the
generals to step aside, I was a private citizen then; I was no longer in
public office. Even though I'm leaving public office again as Secretary of
State, the Haitian people should know that I have been following
developments in this country for many years. Even as a private citizen, I
will follow developments, but even more than that, I will speak out and do
everything I can to help the people of Haiti gain what they so richly
deserve -- a democratic country that has resolved its political differences
in a democratic way through an election that the international community is
helping so that every Haitian can have a better life, every Haitian child
has a better future.

MR. FRANÃ?OIS: So Haiti can count on you?

SECRETARY POWELL: Yes.

MR. FRANÃ?OIS: Do you have a last message for the Haitian people?

SECRETARY POWELL: Keep the faith. People are here to help you. You must do
your part -- you must reject violence, you must push back on those who
would try to intimidate you, you must support the forces of democracy and
freedom, you must not go back to the past, you must look to the future. As
you look to the future, you will have a good friend standing alongside you
in the United States of America.

MR. FRANÃ?OIS: Mr. Secretary, it was a great honor to have this meeting
with you.

SECRETARY POWELL: Thank you very much, Mr. François.

Created: 08 Dec 2004 Updated: 08 Dec 2004

This page printed from:
http://usinfo.state.gov/wh/Archive/2004/Dec/08-774637.html

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J.P. Slavin
New York
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