France tells citizens 'quit Haiti before massacre'

[rodbarnett]

PARIS, Feb 23 (AFP) - Haiti is heading towards a "massacre," French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said Monday as he urged French citizens to leave the restive Caribbean state.

"What we are seeing is a massacre developing. Already there are more than 70 dead," he told commercial RMC radio in Paris.

"We are convinced that all those who do not have call to be on the scene should not stay there," he said.

The minister repeated a suggestion made last week that an international peacekeeping force be sent to the Caribbean country, which has been torn by civil conflict for three weeks and is now divided between supporters and opponents of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

"We are ready to lend our aid once the UN has given its mandate .... (But) we are not yet at that stage. It is important that each side make a gesture.

http://www.expatica.com/source/site_article.asp?subchannel_id=58&story_id=4929

[Kolesar]

1. Advice to Haiti:

They will only send in peace KEEPERs, not peace MAKERs. If you want some Peace MAKERs, you better get some massive reserves of oil, and FAST.

I heard that on CBC radio this morning, LOL.

[Mistress Quickly]

2. Here's a chance for the UN

to step in and do something right for a small country without any natural resources (resources which would cause them to need "help" from countries such as, oh, the USA!)

[BayCityProgressive]

3. The Bush administration

will aid in Aristide's overthrow. People tend to look at this in shades of black and white but Haiti is not the USA. It is only minimally democratic..Aristide being the only elected official. Real reform needs to happen in the country but reform WILL NOT come from Aristide's opponents. His opponents are just supporters of the old right wing dictatorship. Aristide is a moderate-left leader who was helped back into power by Clinton after he was overthrown in a coup. He HAS won elections and he has made many reforms in the nation. It is easy for us to criticize but I am sure it is not very easy to reform haiti from the inside when they are run by the few in the upper class and there is no foreign aide or intervention. If we have qualms with Aristide, who could do a better job with no money and limited democracy against the ruling class with their millions of dollars and gangs of thugs?

[Loonman]

5. "Moderate-left"? "helped back"?

LOL!!!!

Aristide IS the upper class. He IS the ruling class. Aristide and his cronies have most of the money and power.

Think he wants to lose power? No.

That's why he rigged the 2000 elections in his favor.

[damnyankee2601]

4. Will Bush give the baotlifters "amnesty?"

Or doesn't he care about the Haitian vote?