Haiti gets good cop bad cop treatment from U.S.

no time to compose notes to think about when the evening news tonight tells us about U.S. 'military assessment mission' to Port Au Prince. also repost of Bill Fletcher on Haiti from Portside <!--break--> The current 'rebellion' in Haiti is being fueled by right-wing paramilitary leaders who were exiled from Haiti in mid-90's. according to at least one press report, some of them commandoed their way in across the D.R. border earlier this week and are now moving through many towns killing police and blocking travel and trade. President Aristide has asked for assistance from the OAS/ international community in providing security for his country -- U.S. and E.U.'s position has been that they would consider peace-keeping force after a political solution is found. WHAT? After ambiguous State Department comments last week about it being ok for Aristide to be ousted, Colin Powell a few days ago said that as a democratically elected leader the U.S. would NOT support another coup d''état in Haiti. Yet an AP report within the last hour states that an unnamed U.S. official told reporters that Aristide "rebuffed a U.S. proposal that he defuse the situation by calling early elections and allowing a temporary board to govern Haiti until a president is chosen." Now the latest headline is that U.S. military mission is going to Haiti. To check on embassy security. Right. Hard to know what's really going on, except that it's most definitely NOT going to be what we will see on the evening news..... Mary Bill Fletcher's comments from Portside: PM Wednesday, February 18, 2004 BILL FLETCHER, bfletcher@t..., http://www.transafricaforum.org Executive director of TransAfrica, Fletcher said today: "In recent weeks, the Haitian crisis has been deepening. In addition to mass protests against President Aristide, demanding his resignation, there have been military assaults in several cities and what appears to be a move toward insurrection. The alleged rebels have been described in different ways, but they appear to be the armed wing of at least a section of the opposition.... President Aristide was duly elected by the Haitian people. In fact, he was elected twice.... We believe that there are legitimate criticisms of President Aristide.... Given the association of the so-called rebels with the old regime, are we not on a slippery slope toward a Duvalier-ist future if President Aristide is driven from office? In fact, given the strong support that President Aristide continues to enjoy in much of Haiti, is not the scenario of civil war more likely than civil peace if President Aristide is compelled to step down due to extra-legal (if not illegal) pressure? ... Since 1804 the USA has done what it could to undermine efforts at genuine independence, including through military interventions, threats, and the support of corrupt puppet regimes. When Haiti has attempted to stand, its legs have been cut from under it by its arrogant northern neighbor.... The multi-year restriction on the release of badly needed loans worsened the internal situation in the Western Hemisphere's poorest country. Now the Bush administration is implying that it is time for President Aristide to leave, while at the same time having Secretary of State Powell state that a coup would not be acceptable. One gets the feeling of a 'good cop/bad cop' scenario. None of this should come as a surprise to us in light of world events as well as the policy and practice of hostility by this administration toward President Aristide since the beginning."

<p>no time to compose notes to think about when the evening news tonight tells us about<br /> U.S. 'military assessment mission' to Port Au Prince. also repost of Bill Fletcher on Haiti from Portside</p> <!--break--><p>The current 'rebellion' in Haiti is being fueled by right-wing paramilitary leaders who were exiled from Haiti in mid-90's. according to at least one press report, some of them commandoed their way in across the D.R. border earlier this week and are now moving through many towns killing police and blocking travel and trade. President Aristide has asked for assistance from the OAS/ international community in providing security for his country -- U.S. and E.U.'s position has been that they would consider peace-keeping force after a political solution is found. WHAT? </p> <p>After ambiguous State Department comments last week about it being ok for Aristide to be ousted, Colin Powell a few days ago said that as a democratically elected leader the U.S. would NOT support another coup d''état in Haiti. Yet an AP report within the last hour states that an unnamed U.S. official told reporters that Aristide "rebuffed a U.S. proposal that he defuse the situation by calling early elections and allowing a temporary board to govern Haiti until a president is chosen." </p> <p>Now the latest headline is that U.S. military mission is going to Haiti. To check on embassy security. Right. </p> <p>Hard to know what's really going on, except that it's most definitely NOT going to be what we will see on the evening news..... Mary</p> <p>Bill Fletcher's comments from Portside:</p> <p> PM Wednesday, February 18, 2004</p> <p> BILL FLETCHER, bfletcher@t...,<br /> <a href="http://www.transafricaforum.org">http://www.transafricaforum.org</a> Executive director of<br /> TransAfrica, Fletcher said today: "In recent weeks, the<br /> Haitian crisis has been deepening. In addition to mass<br /> protests against President Aristide, demanding his<br /> resignation, there have been military assaults in<br /> several cities and what appears to be a move toward<br /> insurrection. The alleged rebels have been described in<br /> different ways, but they appear to be the armed wing of<br /> at least a section of the opposition.... President<br /> Aristide was duly elected by the Haitian people. In<br /> fact, he was elected twice.... We believe that there<br /> are legitimate criticisms of President Aristide....<br /> Given the association of the so-called rebels with the<br /> old regime, are we not on a slippery slope toward a<br /> Duvalier-ist future if President Aristide is driven<br /> from office? In fact, given the strong support that<br /> President Aristide continues to enjoy in much of Haiti,<br /> is not the scenario of civil war more likely than civil<br /> peace if President Aristide is compelled to step down<br /> due to extra-legal (if not illegal) pressure? ... Since<br /> 1804 the USA has done what it could to undermine<br /> efforts at genuine independence, including through<br /> military interventions, threats, and the support of<br /> corrupt puppet regimes. When Haiti has attempted to<br /> stand, its legs have been cut from under it by its<br /> arrogant northern neighbor.... The multi-year<br /> restriction on the release of badly needed loans<br /> worsened the internal situation in the Western<br /> Hemisphere's poorest country. Now the Bush<br /> administration is implying that it is time for<br /> President Aristide to leave, while at the same time<br /> having Secretary of State Powell state that a coup<br /> would not be acceptable. One gets the feeling of a<br /> 'good cop/bad cop' scenario. None of this should come<br /> as a surprise to us in light of world events as well as<br /> the policy and practice of hostility by this<br /> administration toward President Aristide since the<br /> beginning."</p>