24969: (news) Simidor: Delusional TITID (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: daniel simidor <danielsimidor@yahoo.com>

President Jean-Bertrand Aristide at a press conference
in Pretoria, South Africa on April 19th 2005

Source: http://www.hayti.net/tribune/

On April 19th, 2005 President Jean-Bertrand Aristide
gave a press conference in Pretoria, South Africa. The
democratically elected President of Haiti spoke in
front of a room filled with about 40 journalists in
addition to representatives of a dozen of TV and
radios as well as print medias. President Aristide
demands an end of repression, freedom for thousands of
Lavalas members in jail and in exile. He calls for
restoration of peace and constitutional order,
national dialogue and free, fair and democratic
elections where a majority of Haitians are not
excluded and oppressed as is the case today.

	Their continued peaceful demonstrations calling for
my return and the restoration of constitutional order
must be heard. Racism should not maintain a "Black
Holocause" in Haiti where African descendants
proclaimed their independence 200 years ago. What a
historic paradigm for all the nations.

Questions and Answers

Question:
Mr President, what is your response to the charging of
your former Interior Minister and violence towards
United Nations police in recent weeks?

Answer:
Repression in Haiti has killed in excess of 10 000
people - we are for peace, not violence. It is clear
that what has been said is lies said to hide this
repression. This is the reason it is imperative that
we return to constitutional order.

Question:
President, a date has been set for the elections -
will you be participating therein?

Answer:
I'm still the only elected President of Haiti,
carrying the voice of eight million Haitian people. I
will continue to call for an end to the repression.

Question:
Mr President, can you clarify why you are holding this
press conference now?

Answer:
The United Nations has just returned from Haiti -
perhaps you did not hear what the Haitian people said
- they called for a return to constitutional order -
not for the first time.
In this regard, it is only fair that journalists help
the people of the world to understand the voice of the
Haitian people.
We were free 200 years ago when we proclaimed our
independence - it is important that we pay attention
to the Haitian people calling for my return and return
to constitutional order - 10000 people being killed in
one year is too much.

Question:
President, what do you have against the United Nations
mandate - why do you believe they will not do exactly
what you are calling for?

Answer:
I support the United Nations mandate - I call for the
release of party members, the return to constitutional
order.
How can you hold free and fair elections in a country
with thousands in hiding - what about those in exile.
How was it possible to hold elections in South Africa
- how can it be possible in Haiti?
Repression must stop - we call for national dialogue.

Question:
Mr President, what will you consider to be appropriate
conditions for your return to Haiti?

Answer:
National dialogue where the majority of the people are
not excluded - I refer again to my earlier points.

Question:
Mr President, are you planning to participate in the
forthcoming national elections?

Answer:
This is not the issue today - today, the issue is that
we must hear the calls of the majority of the Haitian
people.

Question:
Mr President, what is this Black Holocaust to which
you refer? Who is perpetrating this?

Answer:
I was very happy to spend three years in Israel where
I studied Hebrew, etc. I was also able to familiarise
myself with what the Holocaust meant to Israel. One
cannot fail to see what is happening in this black
country - 10000 people have been killed in one year.
The UN has just spent four days in Haiti and not
listened to the people of Haiti - this is what I call
a Black Holocaust.

No one is listening to the Haitian people.

Question:
Mr President, the Holocaust involved the killing of
six million people - we are now comparing this with 10
000 and you still have not said who is perpetrating
this Holocaust?

Answer:
Tens of thousands of people were killed in 1804 -
Haiti became free in 1804. I say racism is occurring
because the Haitian people are not being listened to.
We should not be oblivious to the plight of the
Haitian people.
You know who is perpetrating this Holocaust - the same
people who were behind my kidnapping - the French, US
and others.

Question:
Mr President, if you consider yourself the duly
elected President - who is going to organise free and
fair elections in Haiti?

Answer:
The kidnapping of 28 February 2004 has clearly failed
- there has only been an increase in violence and
misery in Haiti. Violence is clearly not the answer.
Today, Haitians are calling for constitutional order
to be restored and repression to be decreased - these
will be the conditions that enable national dialogue.

Question:
Mr President, under what conditions will you return to
Haiti - are you preparing to return?

Answer:
I'm ready to return to Haiti at any time.
The conditions under which I will return - the UN is
very necessary to the process although they are losing
a lot of credibility based on what is happening in
Haiti.
Real national dialogue is very important - I will
support the process - however, national dialogue
without the majority of the Haitian people is not
national dialogue.

CARICOM, one year ago, called for the truth of my
kidnapping - to date, no such truth is forthcoming.
The only way in which to solve the problem is to
include the majority of the Haitian people.

Question:
Mr President, I have heard that Lavalas has been part
of the violence - can you assist in putting an end to
such violence?

Answer:
This is all false - lies to change the focus of what
is important - there is a group of people using
weapons but now is the time to stop lying - it is time
to tell the truth and lies are a form of violence. The
problem is not being solved - Lavalas is being
accused.
But it is time for the truth - let's talk and end
repression.
Lavalas is against any form of violence, now, in the
past and in future.

Question:
Mr President, it has been stated categorically by
people who have visited Haiti that you have been
supporting and encouraging the violence in Haiti from
South Africa.

Answer:
This is completely false.

Question:
Mr President, what is the South African government's
view of your return to Haiti?

Answer:
You are welcome to ask them - but they support free,
fair and democratic elections in Haiti.
South Africa, remains a compelling historic case for
the world.
There must be national dialogue for elections to be
held.

Question:
Mr President, have you made any efforts to create the
conditions for your return to Haiti?

Answer:
What was said about a year ago is what I'm saying
today - let's have dialogue - let's put violence aside
- let's have dialogue. I'm open for dialogue to pave
the way for constitutional order.

Question:
Mr President, are you not playing a race card?

Answer:
I respectfully disagree with you on this matter - look
at Haiti 200 years ago when we became free, look at
the transatlantic slave trade - millions were lost in
the transatlantic slave trade.
The history of Haiti is the history of the African
continent - the world has forgotten Haiti in the last
200 years.
When Haiti defeated Napolean's army, the world did not
publicise this.
When we supported the United States in their fight for
freedom, we did so because we believe in freedom.

The flags of Venezuela, Columbia, and Ecuado as
resonate the Haitian flag - this embodies Haiti's
support in their struggle for freedom - despite what
we have done, the world has forgotten us.
Instead, Haiti was expected to pay for its liberation.
Slavery remains a crime against humanity - it is fair
that today I speak on behalf of:

• Freedom • End of repression • National dialogue •
Free, fair and democratic elections.

Question:
Mr President, you say you speak on behalf of the
Haitian people - if this is so, will you not return to
Haiti?

Answer:
People who are mental slaves cannot be listened to. A
tiny majority of people do not want me back - they are
lying to hide the truth.

Question:
Mr President, does the Haitian constitution allow you
to return?

Answer:
According to my constitution, which I respect, you are
elected for a term of five years.
I was re-elected in 2000 - therefore my mandate ends
next year - let's not focus on this because it is very
clear for any who want to see it.
One cannot respect dialogue if you respect peace and
not violence.

Dialogue = compromise.

When the South African government was planning to
welcome me, it was clearly said that this is one way
to co-operate with the United Nations and Caricom. I
agreed on this basis to come to South Africa.

Now that I see that people of Haiti continued to call
for my return and the restoration of constitutional
order when the UN was in Haiti - the Haitian people
was constitutional order, I support this because it is
fair; repression must end, I support this because it
is fair; I support national dialogue, I support free,
fair and democratic elections because it is fair.

  	President Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Pretoria, South Africa
April 19, 2005

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