THE United States Government yesterday said Haitian President Jean Bertrand Aristide had no choice but to accept the Caricom plan which would see a change in the political power structure of the French-speaking Caribbean island...
News Source: Trinidad Express
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher told a news conference here in Washington that the US had instructed its diplomats throughout the Caribbean to work with individual Caricom members to ensure that the pressure is kept on Aristide and that the Caricom plan is respected.
He also ruled out any bi-lateral arrangement between the Haitian Government and the US to end the crisis, saying all arrangements must go through the regional grouping.
Boucher said: "We are pressing the Haitian Government to accept the efforts of Caricom. We accept the Caricom plan to have a peaceful resolution to the Haitian crisis. Part of the plan involves a change in the way the country is governed."
Pressed as to whether the US wanted to see Aristide removed from power, Boucher would only say the US wanted a change in the way the country was being governed.
Haiti has been in political turmoil with thousands calling for the removal of Aristide from power.
It has led to massive demonstrations on the streets of Port au Prince and an armed revolt which led to some 40 people being killed.
Caricom leaders, including Prime Minister Patrick Manning, met with both Aristide and the Opposition and called for, among other things, political changes in the way Haiti was being governed and for a lifting of the ban on demonstrations.
They also called for a peaceful transition to elections and Manning has said that Aristide agreed not to contest the election.
Aristide has, since that meeting, lifted the ban on demonstrations.
Boucher said the US Government was urging the opposition in Haiti to have peaceful demonstrations if necessary but that there was a need to end the violence.
Boucher also told the news conference the US would not accept Haitian citizens who might be seeking refugee status because of what was happening in their homeland.
He said: "We want to make it clear that we will not be encouraging persons to come to travel to the North in hope of getting an amnesty because it will not be forthcoming."
Haiti has been bedevilled by violence virtually since it was founded some 200 years ago as the first free society in the Western Hemisphere following a revolt by slaves who overthrew the planter class.
