France Says It's Ready to Help Violence-Hit Haiti & More

[MolliG]

France Says It's Ready to Help Violence-Hit Haiti
Tue Feb 17, 6:16 AM ET

PARIS (*******) - Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said on Tuesday France was ready to offer humanitarian assistance to Haiti after the eruption of an armed rebellion in the impoverished former French colony.

But he was non-committal about whether France would send a peacekeeping force to the Caribbean nation, answering a question on the issue by saying Paris was in contact with its partners in the framework of the United Nations, which has set up a humanitarian mission.

Villepin told France Inter radio he had asked a crisis group to meet at the Foreign Ministry later in the day to consider what immediate help could be offered to Haiti, where up to 50 people have been killed in the revolt against President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

"We have the means -- and many friendly countries are mobilized and ready to act. We have to find a way to do this in liaison with the different Haitian parties," Villepin said.

He said France could use its overseas territories of Antilles and Guyana as platforms for its efforts to help Haiti.

"We have a reservoir of expertise in education, health and humanitarian assistance there," he said. "We want to be able to make all this available when the time comes and if circumstances allow."

U.N. officials said last week that hundreds of thousands of Haitians could go hungry if the violence continued.

Tensions exploded into open revolt this month after gunmen who once backed Aristide took control of the city of Gonaives, where Haiti's slaves declared independence from France in 1804.

Aristide became Haiti's first elected leader in 1991 but now faces accusations of corruption and political violence. Ousted in a military coup soon after he was elected, he was restored to power in a U.S. invasion in 1994 and re-elected in 2000.

Villepin called on Haitians to let "dialogue prevail over violence" and said he hoped Aristide would promote such dialogue.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=574&ncid=721&e=3&u=/nm/20040217/wl_nm/france_haiti_dc


Haiti revolt spreads to new town

A rebellion by opponents of Haiti's embattled president has spread further with a new attack north of the capital.

About 50 men attacked a police station in the town of Hinche, killing three people - one of them the police chief.

The rebels are now reported to control the town and two major roads leading into the north of the country.

France has raised the possibility of an international peace force being sent to Haiti, where the recent wave of unrest has left about 50 people dead.

"We have the capacity to intervene and... many friendly countries are ready to do so," Foreign Minister Dominique De Villepin said.

His comments followed an appeal by President Jean-Bertrand Aristide for the international community to help put down the rebellion which has seen armed opponents take over a string of towns in the north.

Neighbouring Dominican Republic has expressed alarm about the unrest, warning it could not cope on its own if there were a mass exodus of Haitians.

On Monday it closed its 360km (224 mile) border with French-speaking Haiti.

'Terrorists attack democracy'

Armed men demanding Mr Aristide's resignation took charge of Gonaives, the fourth-largest city, earlier this month.

Various groups have since taken over a string of other towns and repulsed a government attempt to retake Gonaives.

In an attempt to restore calm in the central town of Hinche, the police chief in the capital Port-au-Prince, about 130 km (80 miles) to the south-west, said reinforcements were being sent.

But reports from the town said local police had been forced out and were re-grouping 55km (35 miles) to the south.

The president, a former priest, is the target of growing pressure to step down from opposition politicians and armed rebel groups.

He has refused to give any details about plans to deal with the rebellion, except that he intended to use peaceful means.

"A group of terrorists are breaking democratic order," Mr Aristide told reporters on Monday.

"I have already asked and I will continue to ask the international community and prime ministers of the region to move faster on this issue."

Discontent has grown in Haiti since Mr Aristide's party won the 2000 elections which opponents accuse him of rigging.

The opposition refuse to take part in any elections unless the president steps down.

Aid gets through

On Monday, rebels escorted a Red Cross convoy carrying much-needed supplies including medical goods to Gonaives, where the unrest began on 5 February.

To keep the police and government supporters from retaking Gonaives, the rebels have pushed shipping containers blocking the highway leading to the town.

Although the rebels are thought to control about 11 towns and cities, their number is also thought to be less than that of Haiti's 5,000 police force.

However they have been joined by exiled paramilitary leaders and police.

"Our fight is for a better country. We are fighting for the presidency, we're fighting for the people, " said Guy Philippe, a former police chief who is accused of trying to organise a coup in 2002.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/39869000/jpg/_39869203_gunman203index.jpg

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/39864000/jpg/_39864897_gonaives_ap203.jpg
The wave of unrest began in Gonaives in early February

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/39868000/gif/_39868713_haiti_hinche2_map203.gif

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/39869000/jpg/_39869251_aristidebody.jpg
Aristide: Restored to power with foreign help in 1994

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3494447.stm

[XASA]

Because of the Monroe Doctrine and Roosevelt's Good Neighbor Policy, I doubt French or any other European peacekeeping forces would ever be deployed to Haiti. If they are, it would be only with American permission. Humanitarian aid, however, shouldn't be a problem.

[pinkeye]

xasa, haiti is a former french colony. moreover, france has 4,000 troops stationed in nearby martinique and guadeloupe, so french "intervention" as part of a u.n.-mission, for example, is certainly not a problem.

[XASA]

Pinkeye, you are right, Haiti is a former French colony and that they still have French troops stationed in the hemisphere. Correct me if I'm wrong, but those territories are considered part of metropolitan France and not colonies.

Haiti won its independence in the early 1800s, before the Monroe Doctrine went into effect in the 1820s. Since they lost Haiti, France has not been a factor in Haiti.

A simplified description of the doctrine is that it is against military intervention by any European power in Latin America. The U.S. has intervened in Haiti several times, most recently during Clinton's administration, and will probably do so again if matters continue as they are. There is always the possibility the U.S. will ask for UN assistance, but I don't see France unilaterally intervening.

PS: France was the last country to try to circumvent the Monroe Doctrine when Napoleon III set his eyes on Mexico while the U.S. was preoccupied with its Civil War. The Mexicans rebelled and once the Union prevailed, France retreated to the colonies it had.

[fantassin]

I sure hope we don't set foot there.

I can see it from here; "Imperialism is back", "down with colonialism", "France greedy attitude towards the third world..."

Let Haïti sort out its chronic problems or let somebody else sort them out, but not France, it's obvious it's a no win situation for the former colonial power.

Plus, let's be honest, there's nothing of value there; no oil, no cocoa, no strategic value...in two words, they are doomed !

[scm77]

[quote="fantassin"
I can see it from here; "Imperialism is back", "down with colonialism", "France greedy attitude towards the third world..."
quote]

Your never going to satisfy everyone. If France does nothing people will say, "why aren't you doing anything? they are a former colony of yours." but if they do go to Haiti, people will say that France is trying to re-colonize.

[usa320]

Good. Its about time somene stepped up to help clean things up down in Haiti.

Im sure we would help, but right now we are busy elsewhere.

[Rantanplan]

It would be nice if germany could sent troops to haiti.
Deutschland braucht einen Platz an der Sonne ;)
But this will never happen.

[the_spec]

Well, even if we wanted to, germanys army has reached its deployment limit. But Haiti would at least be a place with something to do for troops.

[BlackRain]

The USA should not participate in any Haiti rescue missions.

The USA has no vital security interest in Haiti and past experience there shows little can be attained by military intervention there.

There is no industry but poverty there. Foreign aid is stolen and misused. I don't know what the answer is to solve that island countries troubles.

The Haitian people need to solve the problem themselves.

[XASA]

I stand corrected on a possible French military intervention:

February 17, 2004
France Considering Peacekeepers for Haiti
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Filed at 1:20 p.m. ET

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) -- Haiti's premier said his country was in the throes of a coup and appealed Tuesday for international help -- even as Washington and Paris stated reluctance to use force to stop the blood uprising.

In Paris, French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin called an emergency meeting Tuesday to weigh the risks of sending peacekeepers and how otherwise to help the impoverished island, a former colony that is home to 2,000 French citizens.

``Can we deploy a peacekeeping force?'' he asked on France-Inter radio, noting it ``is very difficult'' when a nation is in the midst of violence.

He said France had 4,000 troops in its Caribbean territories of Martinique and Guadeloupe trained in humanitarian work. ``We are in contact with all of our partners in the framework of the United Nations, which has sent a humanitarian mission to Haiti to see what is possible.''

Haiti Prime Minister Yvon Neptune made his plea for help a day after former soldiers joined the rebellion, seizing the key central city of Hinche, burning the police station, freeing prisoners -- and increasing the potential for a full-scale civil war.

Rebels also control most roads leading in and out of the Artibonite, home to almost 1 million people, and have isolated the north by chasing police from a dozen towns. At least 56 people have been killed.

``We are witnessing the coup d'etat machine in motion,'' Neptune told reporters. He said Haiti's 5,000-member police force is ill-equipped to respond and that he expects the international community ``to show that it really wants peace and stability in Haiti.''

He refused to say if that meant a military intervention, and President Jean-Bertrand Aristide on Monday said he had asked the Organization of American States only for ``technical assistance.''

Still, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said Tuesday that ``there is frankly no enthusiasm right now for sending in military or police forces to put down the violence that we are seeing.''

Powell, speaking on CNN, said the international community wants to see ``a political solution'' and only then would willing nations offer a police presence to implement such an agreement.

The United States has staged three military interventions in Haiti, the last in 1994 when it sent 20,000 troops to end a military dictatorship that had ousted Aristide and halt an influx of Haitian boat people to Florida.

Fearing a new exodus, spokesman Ron Redmond of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said the agency was meeting Tuesday in Washington with U.S. and Caribbean officials to discuss how to cope with any flight of Haitians. So far, there has been no significant increase in Haitians fleeing for U.S. shores as they did in the 1990s.

``We would certainly hope that these governments would receive fleeing asylum seekers,'' with UNHCR ready to help, Redmond told reporters.

Aid officials warned of a humanitarian crisis and a statement from several nongovernment organizations operating in Haiti warned the revolt is bringing the country ``to the verge of a generalized civil war.''

Witnesses said about 50 rebels descended Monday on the station in Hinche and killed three officers before the police fled the city of 50,000. Hinche is about 70 miles northeast of Port-au-Prince.

On Tuesday, it was impossible to reach Hinche because police and armed Aristide supporters have erected barricades blocking the road at the town of Mirebalais, just south of the city.

Witnesses said the rebels were led by Louis-Jodel Chamblain, a former soldier sentenced to death in absentia who led the feared paramilitary group FRAPH -- the Front for the Advancement and Progress of Haiti -- which killed and maimed hundreds of Aristide supporters under military dictatorship between 1991 and 1994.

Aristide, a slum priest who preached revolution to Haiti's poor, swept 1990 elections to become the country's first freely elected leader. He was ousted in a coup in 1991, restored by U.S. troops in 1994, and disbanded the army in 1995.

In its place is a police force estimated at less than 5,000 people trained to deal with riots, not combat, that in outlying posts is outnumbered and outgunned by the rebels.

There are not believed to be more than 100 rebels in Gonaives, where the rebellion to oust Aristide exploded Feb. 5. But they repelled a police attack to retake the city last week in fighting that killed 30 people, mostly officers, according to the Haitian Red Cross.

At least 56 people have died as the revolt has spread from Gonaives, about 70 miles northwest of Port-au-Prince.

Reprisal killings continue in rebel-held and police-held areas. On Sunday night, Aristide loyalists reportedly killed two anti-government supporters in the port town of St. Marc.

Aristide refused Monday to discuss strategies for halting the revolt.

``A group of terrorists are breaking democratic order,'' Aristide said. ``We have the responsibility to use the law and dialogue to take a peaceful way'' to quell the uprising that has blocked food, fuel and medical shipments to northern Haiti.

Discontent has grown in Haiti, a nation of 8 million people, since Aristide's party swept flawed legislative elections in 2000 and international donors froze millions of dollars.

Aristide is accused of using the police and armed militants to stifle dissent and allowing corrupt officials to enrich themselves while Haitians suffer deepening poverty.

Opposition politicians refuse to participate in new elections unless Aristide steps down, and the rebels say they will lay down their weapons only when he is ousted.

[Dave the Dawg]

Haiti is a "former French colony" in roughly the same sense that the United States is a former British colony. France and Haiti do not have especially close ties, and France certainly does not have the legal, economic, military and cultural ties that it has to former African colonies such as the Central African Republic and Ivory Coast.

Any French deployment to Haiti would be under the auspices of a UN-led force or another multinational force, such as the US-led force which intervened in 1994, and would only be in the context of an agreed political arrangement. It would also not likely involve a major French troop commitment, but, as with UNMIH, would likely emphasize police training and reconstruction assistance, with other countries providing peacekeeping troops.

[tooms]

it would be a waste of time

the troops impose a cease fire, a fragile peace , then they leave Haiti

and few times after, it will be the mess again

[Loco]

The USA should not participate in any Haiti rescue missions.

The USA has no vital security interest in Haiti and past experience there shows little can be attained by military intervention there.

There is no industry but poverty there. Foreign aid is stolen and misused. I don't know what the answer is to solve that island countries troubles.

The Haitian people need to solve the problem themselves.
Well, you know, Bertrand Aristide won ellections in a process supported by USA soldiers, and only watched by international community, the vilified UN. Ellections were widely critized as not clean, but USA supported Aristide, who once was a promise of democracy to superate the Duvalier´s era. Now, it seems that Arisitide is a corrupted and dangerous politician to his own people, one more in the long list, but Colin Powell said that he´s OK, that Aristide must finish his term in 2006. USA has a big responsability in what Haiti has became since more than 100 years ago. Perhaps it´s time that Haitians could decide their future, that wasn´t the case with USA in more than 5 times, and it´s time to international community to help, not to interveneing, in Haiti. I only hope that Villepin doesn´t use Haiti as a ball for playing a football match with USA.

[Sixgun Symphony]

[quote="fantassin"
I can see it from here; "Imperialism is back", "down with colonialism", "France greedy attitude towards the third world..."
quote]

Your never going to satisfy everyone. If France does nothing people will say, "why aren't you doing anything? they are a former colony of yours." but if they do go to Haiti, people will say that France is trying to re-colonize.

Agreed,

It is a civil war in Haiti, let them settle it themselves. Victory and defeat will bring an end to the war over there and it is not for France or anyone else to intervene.

[BlackRain]

The USA has no responsiblity or capability to force Haitian's population to be civil law abiding citizens. That is where the problem resides.

The USA can only provide a framework for a country. It is up to values, morals, strength, and determination of the citizens to make a country sucessful.

Haiti has demonstrated that something is fundementally lacking in its development.

Billions of dollars of aid has been delivered, security has been imposed several times, and training has been provided. However, it has all been for naught.



`CORRUPTION'

One problem might be the Haitian judicial system itself, as described in two U.S.
government reports released within the past month.

``The judiciary is theoretically independent. However, in practice it remained
largely weak and corrupt,'' the State Department's annual report on human rights
said of Haiti, adding that ``years of rampant corruption and governmental neglect
have left the judicial system poorly organized and nearly moribund.''

The State Department's International Narcotics Control Report, released March 1,
was even more damning, noting that ``in the justice, customs and port authority
sectors, corruption remains a thriving force'' and although judges' pay has been
increased, it remains ``sufficiently meager to make them vulnerable to bribes.''

``Similarly, poorly paid customs agents profit from widespread contraband
activities in Haiti's ports. An estimated two-thirds of Haiti's imports arrive without
the knowledge of or with the collusion of Haitian customs.

And a older article on corruption and wasted money...


After nearly five years spent pouring $2.2 billion of U.S. taxpayers' money into Haiti, there is little to show for it and the country could once again be slipping into chaos, observers report. Poverty, fraud and corruption are still widespread and in January Haitian President Rene Preval dissolved the country's parliament, effectively instituting one-man rule.

To promote stability and democracy, in 1994 U.S. troops overthrew Haiti's military regime. Today Haiti gets the biggest slice of U.S. economic aid -- not including food assistance -- of any nation in the Western Hemisphere -- $70 million in the last fiscal year.

Here are some of the indicators of failure since 1994:

Roads are crumbling, electricity and clean water are scarce, and many children still go hungry as per-capita annual income has fallen from $260 in 1994 to $225 today.

Nearly $30 million in U.S. aid has been spent to support elections marked by fraud, inefficiency and low voter turnout -- including $600,000 paid to an AFL-CIO affiliate for poll watching and other duties that were apparently never performed.

A similar amount of aid has gone to reform a justice system the U.S. State Department recently called "nearly moribund."

The U.S. spends $400,000 a year to support a Special Investigations Unit formed in 1995 under U.S. advisers to investigate 26 political killings -- but it has never solved a case.

Time to move on.