Aristide Attorney Denies Reports of South African Asylum

[seemslikeadream]

Rebels patrol in Cap Haitian, Haiti's second largest city. Rebels now control half of the country (AFP/Jamie Razuri)

By Peter Eisner
Washington Post Foreign Service
Thursday, March 25, 2004; 6:49 PM


An attorney for Jean-Bertrand Aristide denied reports Thursday that the ousted Haitian President has been granted permanent asylum in South Africa.

Attorney Ira Kurzban said news reports quoting Jamaican officials about asylum in South Africa were not true.

"The South Africans have not extended the offer yet, so I think it's premature," said Kurzban, in a telephone interview from Miami. "I don't think there's anything to the story."

The Jamaican government has been criticized and pressured by the Bush administration for accepting Aristide, who has been in the Caribbean country since March 15 on what has been described as a two or three month visit. Aristide has not spoken with reporters since his arrival.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A24734-2004Mar25.html

[dax]

1. Aristide will surely go to the CARICOM meeting

They are supposed to meet in St Kitts?sp. to discuss investigation and response to the coup d'etat-so far the US bullying has not completely worked-OAS is under their thumbs but Caricom might surprise the world-they need to do it right to save Hugo and Lula-they are both going down soon if the thugs win.

[seemslikeadream]

2. Haiti in a Caricom limbo

Prime Minister Patrick Manning, right, speaks with Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines Ralph Gonsalves while leaving the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank building in Basseterre, St Kitts, yesterday. -AP photo

BASSETERRE-Caribbean Community leaders yesterday went to their two-day Inter-Sessional Conference here in the capital of St Kitts, signalling doubts about any recognition of the interim Haitian regime in Port-au-Prince by the 15-member regional economic integration movement.

With the governance crisis situation in Haiti at the top of a packed 12-item agenda, there was a noticeable absence of the division anticipated over the likely arrival for the meeting of Haiti's interim Prime Minister Gerard Latortue.

As it turned out, amid all the speculations, Latortue had failed to repudiate his earlier announcement of suspending Haiti's relations with Caricom or his embrace last weekend of armed rebels as "liberators". And, therefore, his request to attend the Caricom meeting could not have been entertained. It would not have been "politically correct" to have any Haitian official at the meeting when the issue of recognition of a post-Aristide regime in Port-au-Prince was not previously taken.

Latortue's chance of being given an informal audience by Caricom leaders, without recognition of the regime in Haiti, was dashed by his surprising embrace last weekend at a political rally in his hometown of Gonaives of armed rebels as "liberators" and "freedom fighters" in ousting President Jean-Bertrand Aristide from power on February 29.

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http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_politics?id=22395649

[burrowowl]

6. Good for

Caricom!

[seemslikeadream]

3. U.S. ‘replaces’ President Aristide with drug kingpins

A little boy observes the gun of a French soldier patrolling the streets of Cap-Haitien, Haiti, Tuesday, March 23, 2004. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)



by Marguerite Laurent

The day after U.S. Marines shot and killed two Haitian heroes, Louis “Poupouch” Frantzy, 20, a Ra Ra musician, and Rosny “Ti Rasta” Hypolite, 30, father of two, in the Belair neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, their friends, standing in front of buildings riddled with Marine bullets, defiantly spread their fingers to demand that President Aristide be allowed to serve out his five-year term. They say the Marines used a “fuse light” to make the night bright as day, then started shooting. The bandages on the arms of Junior (far right) cover bullet wounds.
Photo: William Farrington

Because the group that took over Haiti's towns and forced President Aristide to ask for backup to his civilian police was no popular insurgency from Haiti's grassroots, but a military operation against President Aristide funded and orchestrated by the U.S. The U.S. used the same Haitian military and FRAPH paramilitary that overthrew President Aristide in 1991, except this time they came in from the Dominican Republic, where the U.S. had them waiting in the wings, shadowing democracy in Haiti since 1994; except this time they came in with their own imbedded AP reporter to spin the tale and convince the unsuspecting U.S. public that this was a grassroots popular movement against President Aristide's "corrupt rule"! Other than the fabrications about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, this is the single most horrific lie ever perpetrated on the world by the corporate media and the Bush State Department.

That's why Ambassador Foley in Haiti, France and their allies in Haitian civil society, the sweatshop owners and their criminal leadership, now are waging a campaign of intimidation against the CARICOM countries supporting Haiti's democratically elected, constitutional government. These fascists have no moral authority, just lies and subterfuge to stop decent people from protesting, criminals to do their bidding in Haiti and arms to maintain their undemocratic rule in Haiti.

The fact is, President Aristide must be restored to power in Haiti. The Haitian people won't recognize the illegal U.S./Euro puppet regime.

Colonialism is an act of war. Coup supporters, in this 21st century, do not have any standing in our global society where the peace and justice community is striving for respect for human rights, dignity and social inclusion and against profit over people principles.

http://www.sfbayview.com/032404/usreplaces032404.shtml


Rebel leader Guy Philippe sits in the Mont Joli Hotel after news of Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide's departure reached northern Cap Haitien, Haiti, Sunday, Feb 29, 2004.(AP Photo/Pablo Aneli).



Rebel leader Louis-Jodel Chamblain celebrates after news of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide's departure reached northern Cap Haitien, Haiti, Sunday Feb. 29, 2004. Chamblain, a convicted killer and accused death squad leader, says he has no plans of fading into the shadows. (AP Photo/Pablo Aneli).



Evans Paul, a leader with Haiti's opposition Democratic Platform speaks during a news conference in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2004. Opposition leaders rejected a U.S.-backed peace plan for Haiti that would have Jean-Bertrand Aristide remain as president but share power with political rivals. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

[bobthedrummer]

4. Psalm 62:10

"Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery; if riches increase, set not your heart upon them."

[TinaTyson]

5. Is it possible that they are only saying that as a favor to the

President and his election season?


Aristide to settle in South Africa

Mail & Gaurdian Online
Africa's first online newspaper est. 1994
http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?ao=33188&t=1

Haiti's ousted leader Jean-Bertrand Aristide is to set up permanent home in South Africa, Jamaican officials said on Thursday.

He would not go there until after the general election next month, because President Thabo Mbeki's government believed it would be "politically unsettling", they added. He would remain in Jamaica in the meantime.

Diplomatic sources in South Africa confirmed the asylum arrangement on Thursday. Aristide may leave for South Africa after the April 14 general elections, the sources said, asking not be named.

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