Haiti suspends relations with Jamaica (Agencies) Updated: 2004-03-16 09:27
Ousted President
Jean-Bertrand Aristide arrived in Jamaica from exile in Africa on Monday,
prompting Haiti's interim leader to withdraw his ambassador to Jamaica and
suspend ties with the Caribbean economic bloc.
Aristide's arrival in neighboring Jamaica raised tensions in Haiti, where his
followers plan more protests to demand the return of the country's first
democratically elected leader.
A U.S. Marine was shot in the arm while patrolling a pro-Aristide
neighborhood in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince — the first American
peacekeeping casualty since Aristide fled Haiti and foreign troops arrived Feb.
29.
U.S. troops have been attacked several times and have shot and killed at
least six Haitians in the past week.
Aristide arrived with his wife, Mildred, at the airport in Kingston, Jamaica,
some 130 miles from Haiti. They immediately boarded a helicopter, refusing to
make any comment. Jamaican officials said the Aristides would stay at a rural
retreat belonging to Jamaican Prime Minister P.J. Patterson.
Haiti's interim Prime Minister Gerard Latortue suggested Aristide was paying
Haitians "to destabilize the country."
The U.S.-backed Latortue suspended diplomatic relations with Jamaica and
Haiti's membership in the Caribbean Community. He said he had told Patterson
many times that it was "a very unfriendly gesture" to invite back Aristide.
"There are people trying to destabilize the country. It may be ex-President
Aristide himself who is contributing by giving money and advice," Latortue
suggested.
The Caribbean Community, under the current chairmanship of Patterson, has
called for an international investigation into Aristide's claim that he was
abducted by U.S. officials and forced to leave Haiti. U.S. officials say they
acted at Aristide's request and probably saved his life as rebels prepared to
attack Port-au-Prince.
Latortue singled out U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., part of a delegation
that escorted Aristide back from Africa on a chartered jet. "It's unacceptable
for the Haitian government," Latortue said.
Waters, speaking at Kingston's airport, said Latortue's gestures were
"meaningless."
"This is another effort directed at trying to make this government more
legitimate," she told Amy Goodman of Radio Pacifica's Democracy Now! program.
"But the fact of the matter is that Aristide was democratically elected by the
people and this new government wasn't."
Jamaican officials have said Aristide will visit for eight to 10 weeks to be
reunited with his two young daughters, who had been sent for safety to New York
City, while he makes plans for a permanent home in exile in a third country.
Aristide indicated he hadn't abandoned his desire to return to Haiti. "For
the time being, I'm listening to my people," Aristide said before boarding a
plane in the Central African Republic, where he was flown to exile in a
U.S.-supplied plane two weeks ago.
He was referring to hundreds of thousands of slum-dwelling supporters in
Port-au-Prince who have protested almost daily to demand his return.
The Marine, whose name wasn't released, was shot and wounded Sunday in an
ambush on a foot patrol — an apparent act of revenge for the killing of two men
by Marines when they came under fire on Friday.
The attack came in the Belair neighborhood, just blocks from the presidential
National Palace, Lt. Col. David Lapan said.
He said he wasn't aware of other casualties. But a man being treated for a
gaping wound in his leg said the Americans shot him.
Belair residents said the Marines opened fire at a motorcyclist who shot at
them, but sprayed a much larger area.
Since Aristide's ouster, militants have clashed often with U.S. Marines who
form the vanguard of a growing U.N.-sponsored peacekeeping operation.
Haitian police, meanwhile, cracked down on Aristide partisans, arresting 12
people Sunday for a range of crimes from murder to drug trafficking.
Latortue said three detainees had been "calling people to give money to
destabilize the country and to create turmoil."
Police chief Leon Charles said at least half the detainees were known
Aristide party members.
Rouspide Petion and former Port-au-Prince Deputy Mayor Harold Severe were
arrested for alleged involvement in the murder of Haiti's most prominent
journalist, Jean Dominique, Charles said. Dominique was assassinated after his
radio reports, once full of praise for Aristide, turned critical.
Haiti's rebellion was started Feb. 5 by a street gang that used to terrorize
Aristide opponents. The uprising was spread by former Haitian soldiers. More
than 300 people died before Aristide fled.
Aristide was wildly popular when he was first elected in 1990, but he lost
support after his party swept flawed legislative elections in 2000. The
international community froze aid.
