Knight Ridder Newspapers February 25, 2004
Bush administration faces dilemma on Haiti
By Drew Brown
WASHINGTON - President Bush said Wednesday that the United States would support an international security force for Haiti in conjunction with a political deal between Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide and the rebels seeking to overthrow him.
France, Haiti's former colonial ruler, suggested that Aristide step down. The French government issued a plan that includes sending a civilian peacekeeping force to restore order and helping prepare for presidential elections under a transitional government.
White House officials said they had no immediate response to the French plan.
It remains unclear what role the United States would play in any peacekeeping force. Secretary of State Colin Powell on Feb. 14 ruled out the use of U.S. forces in Haiti, and White House spokesman Scott McClellan on Wednesday confirmed that the administration remained committed to that position.
Bush said the United States was interested in pursuing a diplomatic solution that would end the 3-week-old rebellion. He also said the U.S. government had begun discussions with other countries to provide security.
In Paris, French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said Aristide "bears heavy responsibility" for the situation in Haiti and called on him to "accept the consequences while respecting the rule of law."
A French diplomat in Washington, who asked not to be named, said the statement meant that Aristide should relinquish power.
Militias led by former police and army officers have taken over most of the northern Haiti and are threatening to take over the capital of Port-au-Prince if Aristide doesn't step down. They accuse him of corruption and of using armed gangs to terrorize political opponents.
The rebels have rejected a power-sharing arrangement put forth by the Caribbean Community and the Organization of American States that would allow Aristide to serve until the end of his term in 2006. Their threat to march on the capital has sparked fears of a bloody showdown with Aristide supporters and the prospect of thousands of refugees fleeing north to the United States and other countries.
Bush said he had ordered the Coast Guard to turn back any refugees.
"We encourage, strongly encourage the Haitian people to stay at home as we work to reach a peaceful solution to this problem," Bush said.
More than 20,000 U.S. soldiers intervened in Haiti to restore Aristide to power in 1994, and troops stayed for two years training police forces and working on development projects.
Even with 120,000 U.S. troops in Iraq and 10,000 in Afghanistan, the United States could pull off another intervention, military experts said. Aristide abolished Haiti's army soon after taking power in 1994, so organized opposition would be practically nonexistent.
But the overall mission would be murky. Few U.S. officials and lawmakers are eager to be seen as propping up the government of Aristide, whose corrupt government and authoritarian style has alienated many earlier supporters in the United States.
"It's not too clear whose side you'd be on or what the exit strategy would be," said John Pike, director of GlobalSecurity.org, a military and intelligence analysis group.
Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., a longtime Haiti watcher, heard closed-door testimony Wednesday from Roger Noriega, a top State Department official who participated in last week's negotiations with Aristide and the Haitian rebels. Foley described U.S. options in Haiti as "somewhat limited" and said administration officials were pursuing a "prudent" strategy in striving for an international solution involving Haiti's neighbors and other countries.
"The administration has been trying not to be seen as the aggressor here, in that we're going to prop up Aristide or intervene."
More likely, the United States would take part in a "behind the scenes" role with an international force.
Even though the U.S.-backed proposal calls for Aristide to remain in power until his term ends, but with an interim prime minister governing, Foley said there's a recognition among U.S. officials that the rebellion has probably spelled an end to his presidency.
"We can't just stabilize, run and say you're on your own again," he said. "They need help with crops. They need help with infrastructure. Our involvement has to be more than as a stabilizing force."
© Copyright 2004, Knight Ridder Newspapers
