US welcomes Preval's presidential win in Haiti

[bemildred]

Short, but sweet.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Washington on Thursday welcomed Rene Preval's presidential election win in Haiti, putting the key diplomatic power's seal of approval on the election of the one-time ally of ex-leader Jean-Bertrand Aristide who resigned under U.S. pressure.

"We congratulate Mr. Preval on his victory and we look forward to working with the new government to help the Haitian people build a better future for themselves," State Department spokesman Tom Casey said in a written answer to a question. "Our understanding is that the results of these elections respect Haitian laws and regulation."

Reuters

[Roland99]

1. Yeah, sure they do.

If you pull *this* leg it plays Jingle Bells.

[htuttle]

2. I am SO glad they found those smoldering ballots in the dump

If they hadn't, I've got a feeling this would have ended a far different way.

[ima_sinnic]

4. but everybody knows that a 3rd-world dump gets lots of scavenging

--I find it suspicious that the ballots were dumped where they were sure to be found. Perhaps the person who was supposed to get rid of them did that on purpose?

[htuttle]

5. They hadn't counted on the rain

Someone apparently tried to burn them, but a rainstorm put out the fire, as I understand it.

[Judi Lynn]

8. You're absolutely right! It was well covered in earlier articles.

An "act of God" altered the success of the crime, five miles away from the city.

[bullimiami]

3. LIARS. Resigned under us pressure = forced out by us in coup.

they can not be happy. preval, lavalas and the poor in power is exactly what they didnt want.

[LynnTheDem]

6. And when Preval brings ARISTIDE back, the elected prez bushCo kidnapped

and overthrew, will the US also "welcome" that?

"resigned under pressure"...my my my how the story changes daily. KIDNAPPED and OVERTHROWN by US TROOPS on orders of BUSH.

Heh.

YAY PREVAL!

[MasonJar]

7. I have a feeling that the US has lost its undeserved clout in the

area and that it will no longer have an easy time ousting an elected pres at its whim. Thank you, Chavez.

[mom cat]

10. I think that he smoldering ballots will make intervention in Haiti more

dificult, for at least another week. (Hopefully much longer).

[Judi Lynn]

9. Haiti took a real kick in the back from a flock of "fair and balanced"

writers covering the election. One writer described the protestors as a "screaming" "mob," (unlike the "well-dressed" and urbane "Brooks Brothers Riot" we know destroyed the Miami-Dade vote recount) pointed out the people, after a day of standing in the streets, "sprawled" on the hotel lawns, (unlike a group of reporters, who would primly "perch" or "recline" or "be seated" on the lawn) and Letta Tayler, from Newsday walked away with the blue ribbon by claiming the "slum-dwellers" "carted away" smoldering ballots "to use as toilet paper."

Do these people look like "slum-dwellers" out to score some illegally destroyed ballots "to use as toilet paper?" How many people study their future toilet paper?



Conspicuous racist hatred made its way into the news, masquerading as "journalism." Apparently these reeking piles imagine they are far more skillful in concealing their utter, abject inner ugliness than they are. Their mission to vent hatred, and atttempt to mold public perception was well served.

The people in the photos in the dump were obviously examining the evidence someone had tampered with their election. Big time. Someone tried to change the election there, so they wouldn't have to hire more death squads over here, to send over there AGAIN.

[Matilda]

11. Preval himself has a rather spotty history ...

During his term of office as President from 1996 he was very much the pawn of the IMF and the World
Bank, pushing through privatisation programs that caused great hardship to the poor of Haiti -
that's why Aristide broke with him and formed the Lavalas Party.

Preval refused to recognise the election that gave power to Lavalas in 1997 and subsequently
dismissed the Chamber of Deputies and became virtual dictator. He later refused to recognise
the 2000 elections that brought Aristide back to power. So it could be said that he was largely
responsible for setting up the conditions that led to Aristide's ultimate overthrow.

Haiti deserves to be freed from the regime of the ghastly Latortue, but will Preval continue down
the IMF/World Bank route again, or try to bring genuine reform to Haiti?

[MisterP]

12. that's what worries me: I try to keep on the Haitian ball,

especially after the '04 Coup