Drug money reportedly funding Haiti fighting

[Chicago Democrat]

U.S. says island nation a key stop on cocaine highway

By Gary Marx and Cam Simpson, Tribune staff reporters. Gary Marx reported from Port-au-Prince and Cam Simpson from Washington
Published February 29, 2004

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- If they take power, the Haitian rebels closing in on this capital city are promising a new and more democratic era in this historically troubled and violent country.

But experts and diplomats say several of the top rebel leaders are former military and police officials who are suspected of major human-rights violations while in power and who allegedly have financed their insurgency with past profits from the illegal drug trade.

That puts the would-be leaders on similar footing with the government of embattled President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who U.S. officials and others say has allowed Haiti to become one of the region's most significant transit points for Colombian cocaine on its way to the United States.

Aristide has vehemently denied involvement in the drug trade, but others in his government have long been suspected by U.S. officials. At least six Aristide administration officials' travel visas have been revoked by the U.S. in recent years because of suspected involvement with narcotics trafficking, according to diplomatic sources.

Rest at.... (Requires Registery)

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0402290254feb29,1,1069206.story?coll=chi-news-hed

[Chicago Democrat]

1. Facing U.S. Pressure, Aristide Leaves Haiti

Rebels Threatened to Attack Capital Unless Leader Resigned
By TIM WEINER and LYDIA POLGREEN

Published: February 29, 2004


ORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Feb. 29 — President Jean-Bertrand Aristide left Haiti at dawn today, resigning under intense pressure from the United States, according to Haitian and American officials.

Mr. Aristide was the first democratically elected president in Haiti's 200 years of independence, following a long line of dictators, despots and military men. His presidency crumbled as armed rebels seized Haiti's north this month and Bush administration officials announced an "Aristide must go" stance this weekend.

The rebels, led by veterans of Haiti's army, disbanded by Mr. Aristide, had threatened to attack the capital unless the president left power.

Mr. Aristide flew from Haiti on a small jet that left Port-au-Prince about 6:45 a.m, according to a United States official here. There were conflicting reports on where Mr. Aristide was headed.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/29/international/americas/29WIRE-HAIT.html?hp

[Chicago Democrat]

2. Another one bites the dust...

I hope everyone who was involved in this overthrough of the first democratically elected leader of Haiti will be prosecuted for war crimes. I pray that President Aristide be returned to his rightful post by President Kerry, next January 21, 2005.

[Mika]

3. Not so sure yet. He was live on TV at 8am this morning

I heard two reporters this morning on live local TV coverage in Miami (Mike Hirsch of local Ch4 and Nancy San Martin of the Sun Sentinal) say that Aristide was on TV and radio this morning at 8 am saying that he would not relinquish his presidency of his own accord. Then they reported that the TV station had been bombed and burned about 30 minutes later.


I also heard a TV/phone interview with Aristide's US lawyer, Ira Kurzban, that JBA had not left Haiti nor resigned of his own free will.


I heard that live on local TV at about 10:30 am est.

[Tinoire]

4. Shades of Venezuela?

Right down to the "mass protests" in the US.

Miami Protesters Demand Aristide Step Down
As Many As 300 Rally In Protest

POSTED: 4:10 p.m. EST February 22, 2004

<snip>

In Miami's Bayfront Park on Saturday, about 200 to 300 people rallied in protest -- far short of the 80,000 organizers had predicted would attend.

The protest was a coalition of Haitian, Venezuelan and Cuban groups that also demanded the ouster of Fidel Castro and President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela.

http://www.nbc17.com/news/2865437/detail.html

It is astounding.

[Chicago Democrat]

5. These people are living in the 1950s

This all about Red Scare isn't it? That's why Bush cut off Aristide. Gee Haiti has drugs, duh. You got misery; you got drugs. Those 300 Yahoos in Florida are the fanatical die hard cold warriors.

How can they get away with this?

How come noone cares?

[papau]

6. No mention of the close ties to our intel folks or the money sent by intel

to Haiti, or the close social connection betteen the 11 Haitian rich families and the rich folks in the GOP.

I wonder if our media will pick up on it.

For those in the media reading DU - I suggest Holbrook as a source of quotes on the above - quoting papau at DU will get you nowhere!

:-)


or is the above another state secret?

:-)

and do mention why we had to keep the world bank money out of Haiti all these years - stopping any improvement in their life under the elected president. The GOP has a lot to answer for.

Assuming the media ever is allowed to ask the question.

[Tinoire]

7. Do you have a link to those quotes?

I'd love to read them! And if I were a journalist, I would proudly quote Papau from DU ;)

[papau]

8. The Transcript with Richard Holbrook ABC's THIS WEEK

that was aired 2/29 (I believe taped on Friday) has Holbrook making those statements!

And so far I've proven that it was not Washington Week!

Ok - We have once again shown how bad my short term memory is!

It appears what I saw was a segment from ABC's THIS WEEK George Stephanopoulos with Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY), Sen. Mike DeWine (R-), Richard Haass, Richard Holbrooke, Fareed Zakaria

[Toots]

9. "promising a new and more democratic era"

He said with a machine gun aimed at Democracy's head.