24009: (pub) Chamberlain: Haiti-Independence Anniversary (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Greg Chamberlain <GregChamberlain@compuserve.com>

   By AMY BRACKEN

   GONAIVES, Jan 1 (AP) -- Haiti's leaders marked the country's 201st
anniversary of independence Saturday while protesters demanded more help in
this flood-ravaged city where political tensions still linger almost a year
after a revolt that ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
   In the northern city of Gonaives where the country's declaration of
independence from slave-holding France was signed Jan. 1, 1804, Interim
President Boniface Alexandre urged Haitians to help pave the way for "free,
honest, transparent and democratic elections" this year.
   "Haiti had 200 years of suffering, division and hatred," Alexandre said
from a balcony at city hall, addressing a restless crowd of about 200. "In
2005, we must not make our ancestors ashamed. We must all understand the
problem is in us."
   The crowed heckled Gonaives Mayor Calixte Valentin when he introduced
Alexandre and other speakers, shouting "get out!" Valentin told The
Associated Press he was considering resigning, saying he was frustrated
about not having enough funds to meet people's demands. He did not
elaborate.
   Earlier, Alexandre and Interim Prime Minister Gerard Latortue listened
to a church sermon while about 200 protesters gathered outside the
cathedral. Some demanded the U.S-backed government deliver on promises made
in October to rebuild the battered city.
   Hundreds are still homeless from September floods that killed at least
2,000 people and left another 900 missing and presumed dead. Piles of dried
mud still block roads, agriculture is in ruins and half the city's schools
have yet to reopen.
   "We're tired of the lies," said Barthelemy Dieu-Fils, a teacher. "They
said there's money coming, but we don't see any money ... We can't live
like this."
   Last year, bloody clashes between police and protesters in Gonaives and
the capital of Port-au-Prince ruined Aristide's lavish bicentennial tribute
to Haiti's independence as the world's first black republic. South African
President Thabo Mbeki was among the few dignitaries who didn't cancel his
appearance but left Gonaives prematurely amid security threats.
   A month later in February, anti-Aristide gangs attacked the Gonaives
police station, killing officers and joining with former soldiers to launch
a rebellion that drove Haiti's first democratically elected leader into
exile.
   The cash-strapped interim government has promised elections this year
but it has also struggled to maintain security, despite a 7,000-member U.N.
peacekeeping force.
   More than 100 people have been killed since Sept. 30, when Aristide
loyalists in the capital stepped up demands for his return from exile in
South Africa.