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Thursday, Feb. 26, 2004

Foreigners fled the island nation amid isolated looting Wednesday. The U.N. Security Council scheduled a meeting on Haiti for Thursday. President Bush said the United States was encouraging the international community to provide a strong "security presence."

Warning that Haiti is quickly heading toward chaos, France called for Aristide's resignation and the immediate establishment of a transitional government.

"As far as President Aristide is concerned, he bears grave responsibility for the current situation. It's up to him to accept the consequences while respecting the rule of law," Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said in a statement Wednesday.

"Everyone sees quite well that a new page must be opened in Haiti's history, while respecting the dignity and integrity of all the protagonists," he said. Haiti is France's former colony.

In Haiti, a leader of the group of rebels that has overrun half the country urged Haitians to stay indoors if fighting nears the capital.

"We're going straight for the National Palace where we're going to arrest Aristide," Guy Philippe said in a call to Radio Vision 2000 from the rebel-held city of Cap-Haitien in the north. "It will be over very soon."

The message was contrary to one he gave hours earlier, when he told a reporter he wanted to see if Aristide resigns and to "give a chance to peace."

Socialism Fails Again

Aristide, 50-year-old former slum priest, once commanded widespread support as Haiti's first democratically elected leader and savior to the poor, but he has steadily lost support as poverty deepened after his party swept flawed legislative elections in 2000 and international donors suspended aid.

An opposition coalition, which maintains it is not linked to the rebels, continued to call on the president to resign and formally announced its rejection of a U.S.-backed proposal for Aristide to remain president and share power with his political rivals.

France Ready to Risk Others' Blood

In the statement, Villepin called for the establishment of a civilian peacekeeping force in Haiti.

"This international force would be responsible for guaranteeing the return to public order and supporting the international community's action on the ground," he said.

French and U.S. diplomats say Aristide used police and supporters to crush dissent, contributing to the violence, and failed to fight corruption in the police and judiciary.

The Compassionate Drug Kingpin

A convicted drug lord, meanwhile, provided damning testimony against Aristide, saying the former priest was profiting from cocaine trafficking.

Beaudoin "Jacques" Ketant testified Wednesday in Miami after being sentenced to 27 years for money laundering and allegedly shepherding 41 tons of drugs for Colombian drug cartels through Haiti to the United States from 1987 to 1996.

"He turned the country into a narco-country," Ketant said of Aristide. Ira Kurzban, a Miami attorney for the Haitian government, dismissed the allegations from "a lying, convicted drug dealer"

Aristide has, for his part, accused the rebels of leading the popular uprising, which has killed about 80 people and seen buildings torched, through drug-trafficking proceeds.

As order in the impoverished country of 8 million unraveled, Aristide's two daughters flew to the United States.

Roads in the capital were blocked by Aristide militants who set up dozens of barricades. They were initially erected to prevent rebels from entering the capital, but on Wednesday the militants began robbing people at the barricades.

Police at first did nothing but later arrested about a dozen suspected roadblock robbers.

American Airlines said three of its five daily flights to the United States were delayed because crew and passengers had trouble passing the roadblocks. Air Jamaica canceled its flights to Haiti indefinitely.

U.N. nonessential staff and their families were being evacuated.

Canada and the Dominican Republic said small teams of their soldiers were on their way to Haiti to protect their embassies. Canadian Maj. Mike Audette said the soldiers would prepare for the possible evacuation of more than 1,000 citizens.

The last of 56 Mormon missionaries in Haiti left Wednesday.

Fearing an exodus of Haitians fleeing the violence, the Dominican Republic doubled the number of troops along its 225-mile border with Haiti.

Escapees Caught Near Miami

Haitians fled a political crisis in large numbers 12 years ago. There has been little evidence of a repeat of that situation thus far, although a freighter with 21 Haitians on board was intercepted by the Coast Guard off the coast of Miami Beach. Bush has said the U.S. Coast Guard would turn back Haitian refugees reaching American shores.

In Cap-Haitien, at least two men were killed Wednesday, one shot by rebels for allegedly looting, and another shot by unidentified gunmen who accused him of being an Aristide militant.

The Red Cross said that raised the toll to 20 dead in Cap-Haitien, and the overall toll from fighting in the three-week-old rebellion to about 80.

© 2004 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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