Posted on 02/29/2004 10:13:47 AM PST by Robe
Edited on 04/22/2004 12:39:05 AM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States could send forces to Haiti within days to deter rebels from grabbing power after President Jean-Bertrand Aristide resigned on Sunday under increasing American pressure in the face of an armed rebellion, a U.S. official said.
Criticized for responding slowly to defuse the revolt and for failing to mediate a viable alternative to Aristide, Washington is now worried rebels will fill a power vacuum in a nation with a history of coups and political violence.
``The wild card here is the rebels. Are they with the program?'' a State Department official said. ``We want to make sure we neutralize them. Not necessarily by going after them but the timely insertion of some kind of deterrent is important.''
The United States, which restored Aristide to power a decade ago after a coup, helped the president leave the country, the official said, without giving details of the operation. The plane carrying Aristide refueled in Antigua, the official, who did not know the exile's final destination, said.
Initially U.S. troops would make up the bulk of any international force as they could quickly reach Haiti, which is several hundred miles from Florida, the official, who asked not be named, said.
``They could go within days or even sooner than that. These guys are always on a boat somewhere and they can get any place real fast,'' he said.
The U.S. ambassador to Haiti James Foley said international military forces ``will rapidly be in Haiti'' and urged the rebels who forced out the president to lay down their arms.
The United States failed to mediate a settlement, rejected Aristide's pleas for foreign troops to quell the revolt and pressured him to resign. It said it would organize an international security force only once Haitians hammered out a political solution.
Critics said it was a hands-off strategy that effectively pushed the democratically-elected leader from power without making way for a widely acceptable successor in the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere.
U.S. civil rights leader Jesse Jackson called Aristide's resignation ``an American-assisted coup'' and said, ``Bush made it clear ... he would offer no assistance to stop the military overthrow of the government.''
Another Bush administration official said, ``Aristide made the right decision for the Haitian people by resigning.''
KEEP REBELS AT BAY
With rebels controlling half of the country, the U.S. tactic on Sunday was to try to keep them at bay to win time for Haitians to organize a transition according to their constitution. That would allow the Supreme Court chief to become head of state.
``We need to provide some political space to move forward to allow the constitution to take its course,'' the State Department official said.
Another U.S. official said that Washington was closely watching the situation and wanted to have Haitians invite the troops in before taking any decision. ``You could send people (forces) from any direction,'' he said.
Defense officials said on Friday the United States was considering sending three warships with about 2,000 U.S. Marines.
There had been fears of a bloodbath in the capital over the weekend if the rebels attacked. A senior administration official said Aristide's departure was a relief but did not mean the end of the crisis.
``We managed to stave that off. But we are heading into another dangerous period because any vacuum in Haiti could also be dangerous,'' he said on condition of anonymity.
Last week, the United States failed to win a power-sharing accord with the opposition. It then warned the Marines could be in Haiti in two days in an effort to keep rebels from attacking the capital and allow time to pressure Aristide, whom it blamed for fomenting violence over years.
The United States restored Aristide to power in 1994 with 20,000 troops. But Washington has been increasingly frustrated at the former priest and since 2000 has been key in restricting international aid to the government to punish him for allowing flawed parliamentary elections.
He was commencement speaker about 10 years ago at Fitchburg State College in Massachusetts.
I'm sure he'd be welcomed back.
What is a disgraced, loser, ex-dictator to do if not get a tenured gig in academia?
Now just hold it right there buster, does Bush have a UN mandate for this unilateralist action?
ASHINGTON -- President Bush on Sunday acknowledged the constitutional successor in Haiti and sent Marines to help quell violence on the turbulent island nation.
"It's the beginning of a new chapter" in Haiti's history, Bush told reporters as he returned to the White House from Camp David. The president urged Haitians to reject violence and "give this break from the past a chance to work."
ARE TOO ....ARE TOO... (:^)
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