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Defying Washington: Haiti's Aristide Returns to the Caribbean
Socialists Oust Pro-War Party In Spain In Surprise Vote
Defying Washington: Haiti's Aristide Returns to the
Caribbean
BARBADOS (March 15)--Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide
has just touched down in the Caribbean nation of Barbados,
as he makes his way toward Jamaica. Democracy Now! host Amy
Goodman is with Aristide, his Haitian-American wife Mildred,
and the delegation of US and Jamaican officials that is accompanying
the Aristides to Jamaica, which has offered to temporarily
host them. Goodman is one of only two journalists traveling
with Aristide. She said they believe the group will arrive
in Jamaica at approximately 12 pm EST today.
In returning to the Caribbean, Aristide is defying the Bush
administration, which has stated clearly it does not want
Aristide in the Western Hemisphere.
Goodman has been traveling with the Aristides and the US/Jamaican
delegation on the chartered Gulfstream jet that is returning
Aristide to the Caribbean.
[Click
here to hear Amy Goodman's audio reports]
As the plane made its way to the Caribbean, Goodman reported
the following:
"The U.S. delegation on board is extremely excited at
being able to accomplish their mission of picking President
Aristide up from the Central African Republic. On the plane,
I spoke with President Aristide and Mildred Aristide about
the situation in Haiti. They talked about their concern over
a number of issues, among them, that the University of Peace
has been made the U.S. military base in Port-au-Prince. The
hospital there, the medical school that teaches Haitians to
become doctors, the teachers have been threatened, and are
afraid to work there. This in a country of total destitution
that has one of the lowest rates of doctors in the world."
Goodman continued:
"Mildred Aristide also talked about the looting of her
home. As soon as the Aristides left, their house was robbed.
Contrast this to what happened after the first coup, when
the US government promised the coup leader, Raul Cedras, his
home would be protected, and they actually paid him $2,000
a month for the use of it."
Preceding Aristide's departure from the Central African Republic,
there was a several-hour-long stand-off in the capital, Bangui,
that raised serious questions about whether the Haitian leader
would be permitted to leave Africa. The events also suggest
that the US or other foreign governments may have attempted
to prevent or delay Aristide from leaving. Aristide, who was
democratically elected, has charged that he was "kidnapped"
from Haiti on February 29 in a US-orchestrated coup. Aristide
reiterated these allegations in a series of interviews with
Goodman in Bangui.
Throughout Sunday, there were a flurry of meetings between
Aristide and the president of the Central African Republic,
Gen. Francois Bozize. Some of the meetings also included Rep.
Maxine Waters (D-CA) and Jamaican parliamentarian Sharon Hay-Webster,
who is representing Jamaica's Prime Minister PJ Patterson,
as well as the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). At one point,
Aristide emerged from a meeting with Gen. Bozize inside the
presidential palace. Amy Goodman reported that when he came
out of the meeting, Aristide was "surrounded by military."
After the initial round of talks with Bozize, Aristide spoke
briefly with Goodman. She reported that "Aristide thinks
that President Bozize must consult with those who called Bozize
before Aristide was taken to the CAR—the US, France
and Gabon—to decide whether Bozize should allow Aristide
to leave the country." These were the three countries
that orchestrated Aristide's stay in the CAR.
It is not yet clear what possible role the US and other foreign
governments played in the stand-off that preceded Aristide's
departure from the CAR. In an interview with Goodman as the
stand-off was underway, Aristide's lawyer Ira Kurzban questioned
whether the Haitian president was being held prisoner because
he was not being allowed to leave when he wanted.
Ultimately, after numerous meetings, the group was told they
would be allowed to leave the CAR. Moments before they took
off, Goodman conducted a brief, exclusive interview with Aristide.
"Because they [the government of the CAR] were so gracious
in welcoming us here, it is natural that while we are leaving
the first thing we say is thank you," Aristide told Goodman.
She then asked Aristide for his thoughts on his impending
return to the Caribbean. "In the Caribbean family, we
find the African diaspora too," said Aristide. "Now
that we are in Africa, moving toward Jamaica, we are moving
from one big family to the same family somehow. That’s
why we will continue to do our best to promote peace, friendship
for all of us as members of the same family, as brothers and
sisters."
Mildred Aristide told Goodman she is very much looking forward
to reuniting with her two small daughters.
The delegation that traveled to the CAR to escort Aristide
back to the Caribbean was led by Rep. Waters. "It has
been been quite an experience," Waters told Goodman just
before they boarded the plane in Bangui. "It has been
a long day... We are very pleased to be getting on the airplane
and he will be in Jamaica by tomorrow."
Sharon Hay-Webster, the emissary of Jamaica and CARICOM,
told Goodman, "I can say that on behalf of the team,
all of us who were here to represent President Aristide and
CARICOM, all of his family within the diaspora of the US and
the Caribbean, we are happy to meet with our family members
here in Africa and to have a positive decision to be taken
- that is for him to be returned to his family within CARICOM...
and for him to be reunited with his children and all the family
to plan together as to how they will proceed from here."
TransAfrica founder Randall Robinson, who is a close friend
of the Aristides, is also a member of the delegation. "I
am very pleased that President and Mrs. Aristide will be reunited
with the children tomorrow in Jamaica," Robinson told
Democracy Now!. "It is refreshing. I am extremely relieved.
They have been out here for so long. To see them joining us,
going home is a great joy and a great relief."
Before the Aristides departed Bangui, President Bozize presented
them with two gifts--one a picture made of hundreds of butterfly
wings, the other a piece of art made from rare wood from the
CAR.
US OPPOSES ARISTIDE'S RETURN TO WEST. HEMISPHERE
Throughout Sunday, Goodman reported on the stand-off in the
CAR over the fate of Aristide and his wife Mildred. She indicated
that there was some question among the visiting delegation
on what role Washington was playing in the situation. What
is clear is that US officials have declared very publicly
that they do not want Aristide to return to the Western Hemisphere.
"We think it's a bad idea," national security adviser
Condoleezza Rice told NBC's "Meet the Press." "We
believe that President Aristide, in a sense, forfeited his
ability to lead his people, because he did not govern democratically."
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, on CNN's "Late Edition,"
said: "The hope is that he will not come back into the
hemisphere and complicate [the] situation."
In Haiti, the chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, General
Richard Myers, said, "As far as Aristide’s return
to the region is concerned, if that increases the violence
here, then that would be extremely unhelpful."
The US has also criticized Jamaica for offering to host Aristide.
"Jamaican authorities are certainly taking on a risk
and a responsibility," said James Foley, the US Ambassador
to Haiti. "His coming within 150 miles from Haiti is
promoting violence."
Jamaican Prime Minister Patterson, speaking as current chairman
of the 15-nation CARICOM, has called for an international
investigation into the circumstances of Aristide's removal
from Haiti February 29. The 53-nation African Union echoed
that call last week.
Earlier, Goodman reported that, as the stand-off ensued,
the delegation's pilots were on-board the plane for a number
of hours, awaiting word on whether the group would be allowed
to leave. "That answer has come and it appears to be
yes," said Goodman, just moments after the final round
of talks between Aristide, Bozize and the US/Jamaican delegation
ended.
Moments before the Aristides and the delegation left for
the airport, the Director General of State Protocol of the
Central African Republic, Stanislas Moussa-Kembe, told Goodman,
who at the time was inside the Presidential Palace in Bangui,
that the Aristides would be allowed to leave the Central African
Republic immediately. He told Goodman, "You're headed
to the airport."
Goodman was reporting from inside the Presidential Palace
late into Sunday night. She is now with Aristide and the delegation
that came from the US to escort him to Jamaica. They are expected
to arrive in the Caribbean nation midday Monday.
NOTE: Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman is with Haitian President
Jean-Bertrand Aristide and his wife Mildred as they makes
their historic return to the Caribbean. Aristide has been
accompanied by a delegation led by US and Jamaican lawmakers.
The delegation includes Rep. Maxine Waters, TransAfrica founder
and close friend of the Aristides, Randall Robinson, Sharon
Hay-Webster, an emissary of the Jamaican prime minister, as
well as Aristide's Miami-based lawyer, Ira Kurzban. Washington
Post reporter Peter Eisner is also with the group. Over the
past 48 hours, Amy has filed regular reports from each stop
of the journey.
This is a Democracy Now! global broadcast exclusive. Check
the Democracy Now! website regularly for the latest news on
this historic trip.
Socialists Oust Pro-War Party In Spain In Surprise
Vote
One of the Bush administration's closest allies in Europe,
Spanish Prime Minister José María Aznar, suffered
a major defeat this weekend when his party was defeated at
the polls by the Socialist Party. The vote came three days
after 200 people died in bombing attacks in Madrid.
Aznar had been one of the most vocal backers of the U.S.
invasion of Iraq.
Socialist leader Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatera will soon become
the country's new prime minister and he has already announced
plans to withdraw Spain's 1,300 troops in Iraq.
Zapatera said after the vote: "The war in Iraq was a
disaster, the occupation of Iraq is a disaster."
Many voters said they believe Aznar's support for the invasion
of Iraq led to Thursday's bombings in Madrid which killed
200 people and wounded 1,500.
While Aznar's government attempted to place the blame of
the attacks on the Basque separatist group Eta, evidence has
emerged linking Al Qaida to the attack.
Spanish police have detained three Moroccans and two men
from India in connection to the attack. The Associated Press
is reporting that one of the Moroccans was a follower of an
Al Qaida member who was jailed in Spain for allegedly helping
plan the Sept. 11 attacks.
* Ignacio Carrion, senior write with the Spanish newspaper
El Pais.
For a copy of today’s program, call 1 (800) 881 2359.
Our website is www.democracynow.org.
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Jenny Filipazzo and Isis Phillips.
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