France exploits US hands-off, takes diplomatic lead in Haiti

[Flagg]

FRANCE EXPLOITS US HANDS-OFF, TAKES DIPLOMATIC LEAD IN HAITI

PARIS, Feb 26 (AFP) - Exploiting Washington's hands-off policy to the Haitian crisis France has taken the diplomatic lead, urging the resignation of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide and planning talks in Paris on Friday with government and opposition representatives.
After issuing a peace plan on Wednesday including an overt call for Aristide's departure, Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin held telephone talks with United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan on Thursday and discussed the deployment of a UN-sanctioned police force to stop the Caribbean country's descent into bloodshed, officials said.
On Friday morning he was to hold negotiations at the foreign ministry with a Haitian government delegation led by Foreign Minister Joseph Philippe Antonio and Jean-Claude Desgranges, head of Aristide's cabinet.
A delegation from the Haitian opposition coalition, the Democratic Platform, was also hoping to fly to Paris but was having difficulties finding an aircraft to take them.
However the French initiative, aimed at forestalling a bloodbath in the capital Port-au-Prince, risked being overtaken by events as rebels who have seized over half the country continued their advance and militias loyal to Aristide set up barricades in the city.
In the United States the Washington Post newspaper accused the administration of President George W. Bush of abandoning its historic responsibilities in the Caribbean and allowing France to move into the diplomatic vacuum.
"The fecklessness of the administration's behaviour is in keeping with a foreign policy that has disengaged the United States from large parts of the world over the past three years -- most notably Latin America.


http://www.ttc.org/da40226a.htm

[UpInArms]

1. here's the Washington Post's editorial

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7200-2004Feb25.html

excerpt:

The fecklessness of the administration's behavior is in keeping with a foreign policy that has disengaged the United States from large parts of the world over the past three years -- most notably Latin America. But it is particularly shocking with respect to Haiti, a perpetually tortured country that has been stabilized repeatedly by U.S. military interventions, most recently in 1994. That year President Bill Clinton dispatched a high-level delegation composed of former president Jimmy Carter, then-Sen. Sam Nunn and Gen. Colin L. Powell to broker the arrival of U.S. troops and the removal of a brutal military dictatorship from power. Now, as Mr. Powell himself pointed out last week, some of the same thugs who led the dictatorship's death squads are among those seeking to violently overthrow the democratically elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Yet the most that the administration Mr. Powell now serves has been willing to do is assign an assistant secretary of state to a delegation of foreign mediators, whose belated and underpowered initiative promptly failed. Mr. Powell's own involvement has been limited to telephone calls; the highest-ranking U.S. official in Port-au-Prince is now the ambassador. In Washington, U.S. officials expressed support yesterday for planned negotiations between the government and opposition -- in Paris. "We will encourage the international community to provide a security presence," Mr. Bush said. But his spokesman added that sending American forces was "not something that has been in our plans."

[cliss]

2. Selective concern

That's what the Bush Administration is engaged in. Recall the lofty, noble words Mr. bush recited up to the war in Iraq and for a long time thereafter. 'We need to be a shining light of democracy the world; to assist countries who want to be free'.

Interesting how much they cared about that in the Middle East, and how little they care about it in Haiti. I guess bananas and flip-flop sandals just won't do it, eh George?

[dArKeR]

3. Exploits? I thought that's when Rudy Giuliani did with his for profit book

and book tour and speaking tour right after 911. Actually, I thought that's called 'Drinking the Blood of 911 Dead' and not 'exploiting'.

I thought that's when AWOL lands on an aircraft carrier with advertisements on board, going to fund raisers and smiling and joking and going on vacation and joking around while our children are being slaughtered in Iraq? Or is that called, 'Drinking the Blood of American soldiers' and not 'exploiting'?

[Loonman]

4. Okay..........now

Is France the enemy now, because they support Aristide's ouster?

[flaminbats]

5. And who cares about that Monroe Doctrine anyway?

After all....it really only applied to the French and Commies.

[Vogon_Glory]

6. If The French Want To Intervene In Haiti, Fine

If the French want to intervene in Haiti and try and ameliorate the suffering there, fine. French gendarmes and peacekeepers would have my best wishes.

The usual US pattern of intervention in Haiti for the last fifty years (With the exception of Bill Clinton) seems to be to stand aside and do nothing when thugs of the Tonton Macoutes and/or the Haitian Army choose to take over and institute yet another brutal dictatorship.

The France of the Fifth Republic is a far different creature than the Napoleonic polity that sought suppress Haitian independence and reintroduce slavery. I can hardly imagine that the French would do worse there than we did.