Aristide Bows to Pressure, Leaves Haiti

AP via C-SPAN

[leadpenny]

Host just said story broke on AP about 2 minutes ago.

[xrp]

Did Haiti elect the Congressional Black Caucus to Congress or did the American people in their respective districts?

[Piquaboy]

Since Bill Clinton was our first black president, we should send him down to take over the job.

[searchandrecovery]

Aristede might just be going on vacation. I hear that he and his girlfriend Madeline Albright like to spend time at one of those clothing-optional resorts.

[MinuteGal]

Aristide will show up at the Academy Awards tonight to receive an honorary Oscar from his leftist Hollywood supporters.

No word yet on what Mrs. Aristide will be wearing. There are fears, though, that if she goes through the security check at the theater, the lining of her coat will set off the alarm system.

Leni

[Catspaw]

According to MSNBC, Aristede and his wife have landed in Santa Domingo. There were US C-130's on the ground in SD. Aristede is going to Morocco.

[alrea]

Haiti received $122 million in aid: $24 million in development assistance, $60 million in ESF, $27.4 million in P.L. 480 Title II, and $10 million in P.L. 480 Title III.

thanks for throwing the numbers up. many nations are nothing more than armed rebels fighting to get control of the resources which include wasted aid from misguided governments and donors.

[angkor]

"Haiti is an important transit country for drug trafficking due, in part, to its strategic geographical location between the United States and South America. Haiti?s numerous uncontrolled points of entry and internal instability also facilitate drug smuggling."
THE DRUG TRADE AND COUNTERDRUG SITUATION IN HAITI: A THREAT ASSESSMENT April 2000

PORT-AU-PRINCE -- Haiti is failing to curb the flow of drugs across its shores, in part because traffickers have found allies in the highest ranks of the Haitian National Police force, the U.S. government said.
Miami Herald, 1 Feb 2003

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration describes Haiti as one of the Caribbean's most significant trans-shipment countries for cocaine smuggled from South America and destined for the United States. It says drug traffickers exploit Haiti as a trans-shipment and storage site for large quantities of cocaine destined for the United States and other international markets and that smaller amounts of heroin and marijuana also are smuggled through Haiti.
2003-09-08 20:38:16, Jamaica Gleaner

Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide took bribes from leaders of a Colombian drug cartel in order to ensure cocaine trafficking routes through Haiti into the United States would continue to stay open, an informant told the Drug Enforcement Administration (Jerry Seper, "Escobar Aide Tells DEA of Aristide Bribe," Washington Times, Oct. 3, 1994, p. 1).... In June, the New York Times reported that American officials in Haiti suspected Haitian military leaders of taking bribes and enabling transshipment of cocaine from Colombia, some earning hundreds of thousands of dollars every month (Howard French, "U.S. Says Haiti's Military Runs Cocaine," New York Times, June 8, 1994, p. A15; NewsBriefs, July 1994, p. 6).

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - President Jean-Bertrand Aristide left Haiti on Sunday, bowing to pressure from a rebellion at home and governments abroad, his Cabinet minister and close adviser Leslie Voltaire told The Associated Press.

Voltaire said Aristide, Haiti's first democratically elected president in 200 years of independence, was flying to the Dominican Republic and would seek asylum in Morocco, Taiwan or Panama.

Aristide left as fighters in a popular rebellion that erupted on Feb. 5 came within 25 miles of Port-au-Prince, the capital, and threatened to attack unless he resigned.

 

[BigSkyFreeper]

Just one more Clinton mess taken care of.

[quesera]

Too bad he didn't stay for the fireworks in his honor. For all the suffering he has put the Haitian people through, I would have liked to see the rebels put a necklace around his neck like he's done so many times to others.

Anyway, Good Riddance!

[Free_at_last_-2001]

Just one more Clinton mess taken care of. - Little by little...

[MeekOneGOP]

Well, well, well !! ...

[hgro]

Another failed Clinton/Carter/Albright policy that keeps on giving.

[Amelia]

Last I saw of Fox's Steve Harrigan (last night) in Port-au-Prince is that he was ducking down behind a wall while bullets zinged overhead.

Now that raised my eyebrows. Harrigan is usually quite calm, and indeed he still reported calmly, but seeing him lying flat to report was unusual.

I contrasted it to Geraldo going on and on about his convoy being attacked....

[quesera]

If Haiti is to have any chance, the first act of a newly elected President is to abolish voodoo. It is not a religion, therefore should be made illegal to practice anywhere in the country.

[autoresponder]

Aristede did not want to get "tired"



Like so many did under him......









Libya

Haiti



No US troops acting needed!




GW is a real dummy?

[mewzilla]

Nice work if you can get it. And AP can't bring itself to use the D-word when referring to someone like Aristide.

[quesera]

Strategery at work.

[Catspaw]

Now that raised my eyebrows. Harrigan is usually quite calm, and indeed he still reported calmly, but seeing him lying flat to report was unusual.

I like Harrigan's reporting. It's just straightforward, "this is what's going on" on the scene reporting. This morning, he said that going out in Port-au-Prince would be suicide--and I believe him.

[Edgewood Pilot]

Informative post! Thanks for your service to God and Country.