Amid reports of discussions of a new hemispheric initiative for resolving the Haitian political standoff, American human rights experts have begun meetings with Haiti's deposed President, the Rev. Jean-Bertrand Aristide, to discuss weaknesses in his human rights record and help devise plans to smooth his eventual return.
Participants said the meetings have involved detailed discussions of what Father Aristide's critics call human rights abuses during his nearly eight-month tenure in office, as well as talks about internationally brokered peace plans in other badly torn countries like El Salvador, which the human rights experts said could provide useful models for Haiti.
American diplomats have said that Father Aristide's insistence that Lieut. Gen. Raoul Cedras, Haiti's military commander, be either immediately imprisoned or exiled for having presided over the coup against him has been an obstacle to international diplomatic efforts to secure the exiled President's return.
The human rights experts, from private groups, said they hoped to persuade Father Aristide of the wisdom of deferring the question of General Cedras's fate, while allowing international monitoring to help assure order in the country and provide for his own security. Under such a plan, the question of punishment for soldiers who overthrew Father Aristide last September, as well as those involved in abuses since then, would be handled by an independent monitoring agency to be established under international supervision.
Although they described the discussions as useful, participants said that Father Aristide refused to say that there had been any specific human rights problems during his tenure or to endorse a gradual approach to restoring him to power that would defer the question of punishment for the army leadership.
Neither Father Aristide nor his Ambassador to Washington, Jean Casimir, responded to requests for comment. But participants in the discussions said Father Aristide complained that by seeking a solution that did not involve the immediate removal of General Cedras, Washington was trying to "stick me with a Pinochet," a reference to Chile's former military dictator, Gen. Augusto Pinochet. General Pinochet, who has stayed on as armed forces chief, has a tense relationship with the civilian Government of President Patricio Aylwin.
The meeting's participants said that Father Aristide wondered aloud whether he could avoid being assassinated under such a plan. "It was an interesting exchange of views, but we didn't come to any understanding ultimately," said Kenneth Roth, deputy director of Human Rights Watch, the New York-based rights organization. "He didn't relinquish the demand for the immediate punishment of some individuals in the army, and that insistence, rather than allowing an independent process to take place gradually, perpetuates a stalemate."
Participants in the meetings also expressed frustration with what they described as Father Aristide's failure to address widespread assertions that his statements as President had repeatedly seemed to condone mob-style violence. Human rights experts said that Father Aristide gave little ground beyond the general pledges he has made in the past to reject popular violence.
Another participant cited a speech by Father Aristide to Haitian students in which he praised the presence of a mob armed with gasoline and tires -- which are often used in the vigilante justice Father Aristide's critics have suggested he condoned -- outside a courthouse where a notorious former Interior Minister was on trial.
A senior American official, speaking of what he called Father Aristide's lack of candor on human rights questions, said, "It is a very serious problem, and I don't know what to do about it."
Another official, saying that many people in Haiti already have "little confidence in what he says," called on Father Aristide to issue some "good, stiff declarations about popular justice and some direct acknowledgement that he had some responsibility for certain things that went wrong."
Source: New York Times
Showing posts with label Raoul Cédras. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Raoul Cédras. Show all posts
Sunday, June 7, 1992
Wednesday, February 26, 1992
Ousted Haitian Leader Signs Pact With Old Rival
Nearly five months after he was ousted in a coup, the exiled Haitian President, the Rev. Jean-Bertrand Aristide, signed an agreement today with a former political rival who is now his Prime Minister, pledging to form a "government of national unity" and to begin a timetable for the President's return to Haiti.
With a formal accord in place, diplomats say Father Aristide, who was deposed by the military under Lieut. Gen. Raoul Cedras, may also be more willing to compromise on the army chief's future. In an interview on the ABC News program "Nightline" on Monday night, Father Aristide spoke of removing General Cedras, whom he calls a common criminal unqualfied for amnesty, by constitutional means as part of an army reorganization.
Before leaving Washington, where they have been talking since Friday, Father Aristide and his Prime Minister-designate, Rene Theodore, agreed to meet again in a month to discuss a multi-party cabinet as well as the mechanics of the President's return.
In the meantime, the two leaders -- Father Aristide in exile in Venezuela and Mr. Theodore in Haiti -- are to consult regularly. Before returning to Caracas, the exiled President left today for Geneva, where he is to address a meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Commission.
The accord signed by the two leaders provides for the sending of an international human rights team to Haiti to strengthen protection for civil liberties before Father Aristide returns. The Organization of American States has put together a list of about 60 potential members of a democracy mission similar to one sent to Nicaragua in 1990 to observe electoral politics, defuse crises, resettle rebels and verify accords.
Father Aristide, who won 67 percent of the votes in December 1990, has in effect exchanged some of this mandate for a compromise solution that gives him a far greater chance of returning. Many of his supporters are sharply critical of the accords signed this weekend because they are perceived as cutting into the President's legitimate powers. The Council on Hemispheric Affairs, a Washington policy group, called the agreement with leaders of Parliament "a near-total defeat for Haitian democracy."
A statement by the council said: "As a combined result of ineffectual actions taken by the State Department, the regional organization and the European Community, which never respected the embargo, Aristide was effectively left with no option but to mutilate his own stature by signing away his powers in exchange for the still uncertain prospect of his restoration to what will now be a figurehead presidency."
The Haitian Embassy here, which has remained loyal to the ousted President, disagrees, saying that the President will enjoy all the rights and privileges granted by the Constitution. U.S. to Help the Lawmen. In an interview with the Voice of America, which has expanded broadcasts to Haiti in recent months, Bernard W. Aronson, Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs, said the United States was ready to assist Haiti in professionalizing its army and police.
Representative John Conyers Jr., Democrat of Michigan and a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, believes that the Bush Administration did not do enough to dislodge Haiti's military rulers earlier, thus forcing Father Aristide to compromise his party and program. "What the military thugs down there understand is that they have got a nod and a wink from the U.S. Government," Mr. Conyers said in an interview today after introducing legislation that would give Haitian refugees safe haven in the United States until democracy is restored. "If you wanted to see an end to this mobster rule," he continued, "ban air travel to the United States, impose a blockade on Haitian ships into Miami, ask for a United Nations task force."
On Wednesday, the House will consider his legislation and other proposals to grant what is known as "temporary protected status" to Haitians.
Source: New York Times
With a formal accord in place, diplomats say Father Aristide, who was deposed by the military under Lieut. Gen. Raoul Cedras, may also be more willing to compromise on the army chief's future. In an interview on the ABC News program "Nightline" on Monday night, Father Aristide spoke of removing General Cedras, whom he calls a common criminal unqualfied for amnesty, by constitutional means as part of an army reorganization.
Before leaving Washington, where they have been talking since Friday, Father Aristide and his Prime Minister-designate, Rene Theodore, agreed to meet again in a month to discuss a multi-party cabinet as well as the mechanics of the President's return.
In the meantime, the two leaders -- Father Aristide in exile in Venezuela and Mr. Theodore in Haiti -- are to consult regularly. Before returning to Caracas, the exiled President left today for Geneva, where he is to address a meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Commission.
The accord signed by the two leaders provides for the sending of an international human rights team to Haiti to strengthen protection for civil liberties before Father Aristide returns. The Organization of American States has put together a list of about 60 potential members of a democracy mission similar to one sent to Nicaragua in 1990 to observe electoral politics, defuse crises, resettle rebels and verify accords.
Father Aristide, who won 67 percent of the votes in December 1990, has in effect exchanged some of this mandate for a compromise solution that gives him a far greater chance of returning. Many of his supporters are sharply critical of the accords signed this weekend because they are perceived as cutting into the President's legitimate powers. The Council on Hemispheric Affairs, a Washington policy group, called the agreement with leaders of Parliament "a near-total defeat for Haitian democracy."
A statement by the council said: "As a combined result of ineffectual actions taken by the State Department, the regional organization and the European Community, which never respected the embargo, Aristide was effectively left with no option but to mutilate his own stature by signing away his powers in exchange for the still uncertain prospect of his restoration to what will now be a figurehead presidency."
The Haitian Embassy here, which has remained loyal to the ousted President, disagrees, saying that the President will enjoy all the rights and privileges granted by the Constitution. U.S. to Help the Lawmen. In an interview with the Voice of America, which has expanded broadcasts to Haiti in recent months, Bernard W. Aronson, Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs, said the United States was ready to assist Haiti in professionalizing its army and police.
Representative John Conyers Jr., Democrat of Michigan and a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, believes that the Bush Administration did not do enough to dislodge Haiti's military rulers earlier, thus forcing Father Aristide to compromise his party and program. "What the military thugs down there understand is that they have got a nod and a wink from the U.S. Government," Mr. Conyers said in an interview today after introducing legislation that would give Haitian refugees safe haven in the United States until democracy is restored. "If you wanted to see an end to this mobster rule," he continued, "ban air travel to the United States, impose a blockade on Haitian ships into Miami, ask for a United Nations task force."
On Wednesday, the House will consider his legislation and other proposals to grant what is known as "temporary protected status" to Haitians.
Source: New York Times
Tuesday, October 1, 1991
Haiti's Military Assumes Power After Troops Arrest the President
President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, Haiti's first freely elected president, was ousted tonight by the military, the army commander said. A Government official said Mr. Aristide was taken to the airport to be deported to France, adding that the United States Ambassador, Alvin Adams, accompanied Mr. Aristide to the airport.
Brig. Gen. Raul Cedras announced in a broadcast at 11 P.M. that the military had assumed control, following a day of violence in which at least 26 people were killed. "Today, the armed forces find themselves obligated to assume the heavy responsibility to keep the ship of state afloat," General Cedras said. "After seven months of democratic experience, the country once again finds itself a prey to the horrors of uncertainty," he added. "With all Haitians we will bring the ship to port."
The takeover began with mutinies at an army base and a police station Sunday night. Rebellious soldiers fired on Mr. Aristide's private residence at daybreak and on his entourage as it later headed to the National Palace. The soldiers later seized the palace and captured Mr. Aristide. His foreign minister, Jean-Robert Sabalat, said the President was taken to army headquarters. Diplomatic sources said Venezuelan, French and United States officials had negotiated to save the President's life.
A prominent Haitian politician, who spoke on condition that he not be identified, said Prime Minister Rene Preval and Information Minister Marie-Laurence Jocelyn Lassegue also had been arrested.
General Cedras, 42, became provisional Commander-in-Chief of the army on July 3, when Mr. Aristide named him to replace Lieut. Gen. Herard Abraham. The retirement of General Abraham was described at the time as bolstering Mr. Aristide's control over the military. "The armed forces of Haiti insist on reaffirming that it is an apolitical institution at the service of the Haitian people," General Cedras said in his statement, carried on Radio France Internationale. "It will respect constitutional order, guarantee democratic liberty and will not condone any act of pillage and even less so the flaming tire necklace execution."
General Cedras urged the population to help create a "serene climate favorable to the next election." A powerful sector of Haiti's 7,000-member army has long opposed the leftist policies of Mr. Aristide, a Roman Catholic priest who draws much of his popularity from the impoverished masses. The leaders of the military takeover today charged that Mr. Aristide was interfering in army affairs.
At least 26 people were killed and 200 wounded as Aristide loyalists battled soldiers. The sounds of gunfire continued late into the night. International Reaction The United States and Canada condemned the coup attempt and demanded Mr. Aristide's release. The Organization of American States demanded that Mr. Aristide be returned to office and said those who arrested him would be held accountable. It called a meeting of leaders within the next 10 days to consider options that could include the use of force.
The United Nations Security Council convened in a late-night session. The uprising occurred four days after Mr. Aristide addressed the United Nations General Assembly his first trip to the United States since becoming president of this coup-prone Caribbean nation. He said at the time that he was certain Haiti had left the dark days of dictatorship behind.
Mr. Aristide's visit to New York, a city where there are 300,000 people of Haitian descent, the largest population outside the Caribbean nation itself, touched off carnival-like celebrations. In his address to the United Nations, he stressed peace and human rights themes.
Among those killed when the unrest first flared Sunday night was Sylvio Claude, an evangelical preacher and two-time presidential candidate. Only one of more than a dozen radio stations in Haiti, Radio Soleil, which is run by the Catholic Church, continued to broadcast news after Mr. Aristide was seized. Some stations shut down after being strafed by gunfire, and others switched to music-only formats.
State television broadcast test patterns. The international airport was closed Monday afternoon. Mr. Aristide, a 38-year-old parish priest, had been at home with aides and a bodyguard at the time of the first attack, the government said.
Radio Cacique, an independent station, said an armored personel carrier was attacked when it went to Aristide's home to take him to the National Palace from his residence in La Plaine, six miles from Port-au-Prince.
The trouble began Sunday night with mutinies at an army training camp at Freres, just outside Port-au-Prince, and at an army-run police station in the downtown area of the capital. Shortly before midnight Sunday, the head of Radio Nationale, Michel Favard, went on the air to say a government official told him a coup was believed under way. Mr. Favard is a longtime Aristide aide. Minutes later, six soldiers burst into the station, handcuffed Mr. Favard and took him away, sources at the radio station said. An unidentified soldier, speaking on Radio Soleil, said the rebels had issued seven demands. One was that the Government disband a unit of 50 civilians reportedly being trained by the Swiss as a commandos. Some in the army feared the unit was being trained as an elite militia under Mr. Aristide's direct command.
The rebels also demanded that the Government confirm the appointment of nine officers assigned on an interim basis to the Army High Command. Mr. Aristide had been scheduled to pay a call on President Bush next week in the Oval Office, according to an official traveling with Mr. Bush on a campaign trip in New Orleans.
Mr. Aristide has moved since the first day of his administration to shake up the notoriously corrupt army, historically an agent of repression in Haiti. Upon assuming office, he replaced generals from the Army High Command with younger officers more inclined toward democracy, but has not made the appointments permanent. Delay of Confirmation
Dissident soldiers say Mr. Aristide has been withholding permanent assignment to ensure the generals remain under his control. Mr. Claude, the 57-year-old former presidential candidate, was set upon by a mob in the southern provincial town of Cayes as he was leaving a political meeting Sunday night. Assailants burned him in the streets, according to Radio Antilles, an independent station.
Prime Minister Rene Preval blamed the unrest on remnants of the Tonton Macoutes, the outlawed militia that brutally enforced the rule of the late President Francois Duvalier and his son, Jean-Claude Duvalier.
Street demonstrations in support of Mr. Aristide turned violent here tonight as hundreds of people in the "Little Haiti" neighborhood threw rocks and bottles at police officers and looted stores. The police, who dispersed the demonstrators with tear gas, said crowds in the neighborhood seized several cars and set them on fire, broke into stores and carried away furniture and other items, which were then used to keep bonfires burning.
The Police Chief, Calvin Ross, said that there had been some arrests and that one patrol car had been burned, but he reported no deaths or serious injuries. Demonstrators had taken to the streets upon hearing reports that Mr. Aristide was in military custody. The Haitian President visited Miami on Thursday to thank the large community of Haitians and Haitian-Americans for its support of him and his reform program.
The police, fearing violence like that which broke out in 1986 here during a similar period of political instability in Haiti, were called in quickly. But the police were under orders not to use live ammunition to break up the crowds. "We want Aristide," chanted demonstrators as they marched down the main street of "Little Haiti." Others shouted slogans blaming President Bush, who was in Miami today, and the C.I.A. for the military uprising. Some demanded American intervention to restore Mr. Aristide to power.
About 2,000 angry Haitians demonstrated outside the United Nations building in New York City last night in response to the arrest of President Aristide. A police spokesman, Officer Andrew McInnis, said the demonstration began at about 6 P.M. and lasted until past midnight. There were no arrests. "We want to challenge the U.N. to back up our President," said one of the protesters, Marie D. Volny, who has lived in Brooklyn since 1970. The protesters sang, danced, chanted and waved banners denouncing the coup.
Source: New York Times
Brig. Gen. Raul Cedras announced in a broadcast at 11 P.M. that the military had assumed control, following a day of violence in which at least 26 people were killed. "Today, the armed forces find themselves obligated to assume the heavy responsibility to keep the ship of state afloat," General Cedras said. "After seven months of democratic experience, the country once again finds itself a prey to the horrors of uncertainty," he added. "With all Haitians we will bring the ship to port."
The takeover began with mutinies at an army base and a police station Sunday night. Rebellious soldiers fired on Mr. Aristide's private residence at daybreak and on his entourage as it later headed to the National Palace. The soldiers later seized the palace and captured Mr. Aristide. His foreign minister, Jean-Robert Sabalat, said the President was taken to army headquarters. Diplomatic sources said Venezuelan, French and United States officials had negotiated to save the President's life.
A prominent Haitian politician, who spoke on condition that he not be identified, said Prime Minister Rene Preval and Information Minister Marie-Laurence Jocelyn Lassegue also had been arrested.
General Cedras, 42, became provisional Commander-in-Chief of the army on July 3, when Mr. Aristide named him to replace Lieut. Gen. Herard Abraham. The retirement of General Abraham was described at the time as bolstering Mr. Aristide's control over the military. "The armed forces of Haiti insist on reaffirming that it is an apolitical institution at the service of the Haitian people," General Cedras said in his statement, carried on Radio France Internationale. "It will respect constitutional order, guarantee democratic liberty and will not condone any act of pillage and even less so the flaming tire necklace execution."
General Cedras urged the population to help create a "serene climate favorable to the next election." A powerful sector of Haiti's 7,000-member army has long opposed the leftist policies of Mr. Aristide, a Roman Catholic priest who draws much of his popularity from the impoverished masses. The leaders of the military takeover today charged that Mr. Aristide was interfering in army affairs.
At least 26 people were killed and 200 wounded as Aristide loyalists battled soldiers. The sounds of gunfire continued late into the night. International Reaction The United States and Canada condemned the coup attempt and demanded Mr. Aristide's release. The Organization of American States demanded that Mr. Aristide be returned to office and said those who arrested him would be held accountable. It called a meeting of leaders within the next 10 days to consider options that could include the use of force.
The United Nations Security Council convened in a late-night session. The uprising occurred four days after Mr. Aristide addressed the United Nations General Assembly his first trip to the United States since becoming president of this coup-prone Caribbean nation. He said at the time that he was certain Haiti had left the dark days of dictatorship behind.
Mr. Aristide's visit to New York, a city where there are 300,000 people of Haitian descent, the largest population outside the Caribbean nation itself, touched off carnival-like celebrations. In his address to the United Nations, he stressed peace and human rights themes.
Among those killed when the unrest first flared Sunday night was Sylvio Claude, an evangelical preacher and two-time presidential candidate. Only one of more than a dozen radio stations in Haiti, Radio Soleil, which is run by the Catholic Church, continued to broadcast news after Mr. Aristide was seized. Some stations shut down after being strafed by gunfire, and others switched to music-only formats.
State television broadcast test patterns. The international airport was closed Monday afternoon. Mr. Aristide, a 38-year-old parish priest, had been at home with aides and a bodyguard at the time of the first attack, the government said.
Radio Cacique, an independent station, said an armored personel carrier was attacked when it went to Aristide's home to take him to the National Palace from his residence in La Plaine, six miles from Port-au-Prince.
The trouble began Sunday night with mutinies at an army training camp at Freres, just outside Port-au-Prince, and at an army-run police station in the downtown area of the capital. Shortly before midnight Sunday, the head of Radio Nationale, Michel Favard, went on the air to say a government official told him a coup was believed under way. Mr. Favard is a longtime Aristide aide. Minutes later, six soldiers burst into the station, handcuffed Mr. Favard and took him away, sources at the radio station said. An unidentified soldier, speaking on Radio Soleil, said the rebels had issued seven demands. One was that the Government disband a unit of 50 civilians reportedly being trained by the Swiss as a commandos. Some in the army feared the unit was being trained as an elite militia under Mr. Aristide's direct command.
The rebels also demanded that the Government confirm the appointment of nine officers assigned on an interim basis to the Army High Command. Mr. Aristide had been scheduled to pay a call on President Bush next week in the Oval Office, according to an official traveling with Mr. Bush on a campaign trip in New Orleans.
Mr. Aristide has moved since the first day of his administration to shake up the notoriously corrupt army, historically an agent of repression in Haiti. Upon assuming office, he replaced generals from the Army High Command with younger officers more inclined toward democracy, but has not made the appointments permanent. Delay of Confirmation
Dissident soldiers say Mr. Aristide has been withholding permanent assignment to ensure the generals remain under his control. Mr. Claude, the 57-year-old former presidential candidate, was set upon by a mob in the southern provincial town of Cayes as he was leaving a political meeting Sunday night. Assailants burned him in the streets, according to Radio Antilles, an independent station.
Prime Minister Rene Preval blamed the unrest on remnants of the Tonton Macoutes, the outlawed militia that brutally enforced the rule of the late President Francois Duvalier and his son, Jean-Claude Duvalier.
Street demonstrations in support of Mr. Aristide turned violent here tonight as hundreds of people in the "Little Haiti" neighborhood threw rocks and bottles at police officers and looted stores. The police, who dispersed the demonstrators with tear gas, said crowds in the neighborhood seized several cars and set them on fire, broke into stores and carried away furniture and other items, which were then used to keep bonfires burning.
The Police Chief, Calvin Ross, said that there had been some arrests and that one patrol car had been burned, but he reported no deaths or serious injuries. Demonstrators had taken to the streets upon hearing reports that Mr. Aristide was in military custody. The Haitian President visited Miami on Thursday to thank the large community of Haitians and Haitian-Americans for its support of him and his reform program.
The police, fearing violence like that which broke out in 1986 here during a similar period of political instability in Haiti, were called in quickly. But the police were under orders not to use live ammunition to break up the crowds. "We want Aristide," chanted demonstrators as they marched down the main street of "Little Haiti." Others shouted slogans blaming President Bush, who was in Miami today, and the C.I.A. for the military uprising. Some demanded American intervention to restore Mr. Aristide to power.
About 2,000 angry Haitians demonstrated outside the United Nations building in New York City last night in response to the arrest of President Aristide. A police spokesman, Officer Andrew McInnis, said the demonstration began at about 6 P.M. and lasted until past midnight. There were no arrests. "We want to challenge the U.N. to back up our President," said one of the protesters, Marie D. Volny, who has lived in Brooklyn since 1970. The protesters sang, danced, chanted and waved banners denouncing the coup.
Source: New York Times
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