APNewsBreak: Aristide returning to Haiti in days

[EFerrari]

Source: AP

JOHANNESBURG — Ousted ex-Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide will return home within days following seven years in exile, a South African official said Friday, threatening to plunge this month's election into chaos.

Haitian and U.S. officials have warned that Aristide's presence could disturb the March 20 vote. Three weeks ago, thousands of Aristide supporters protested in the Haitian capital, vowing to disrupt the election if he is not returned home.

A South African Foreign Ministry official told The Associated Press on Friday that Aristide will return in the coming days. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to make the official announcement.

Aristide emerged as a leading voice for Haiti's poor and became the troubled country's first democratically elected president, despite opposition from the army, Haiti's elite and the United States following the 29-year Duvalier family dictatorship.

Read more: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/top/all/7467775.html

[Dogtown]

1. Good!

I hope we don't run him off again.

[EFerrari]

2. Haiti needs to catch a break from the predations

of the US, Canada and France. I hope this is one.

[Dogtown]

6. 100% n/t

[Peace Patriot]

3. "...threatening to plunge this month's election into chaos." --Associated Pukes

I don't call them the "Associated Pukes" for nothing. They of course OMIT the fact that the U.S. State Department RIGGED the recount of the first round of the election, during which SEVENY-FIVE PERCENT of Haitian voters DIDN'T VOTE, because the MAJORITY party in Haiti--Aristide's party--was BANNED from the ballot.

"Chaos," my ass. Apparently, "order" is shutting up, and being good little obedient "clients," about a U.S.-rigged election and "chaos" is demanding clean elections and democracy.

:puke:

[EFerrari]

4. I know. As if this "election" has the least bit of legitimacy in the first place. n/t

[ReggieVeggie]

14. that was my reaction

I wonder if they had such opprobrium for the return of Duvalier

[Judi Lynn]

5. From the Florida Courier: America campaigns to keep Aristide in South Africa

America campaigns to keep Aristide in South Africa
Written by Fcadmin | 10 March 2011

If diplomacy is a form of lying, then the United States’ efforts to delay indefinitely the return to Haiti of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, is a triumph of the most foul diplomacy. Aristide has a passport, but no permission to land in Haiti and, it appears, no permission to take off from South Africa, where he has lived in exile since his overthrow in a U.S.-backed coup in 2004. The outgoing government of Aristide’s onetime ally, President Rene Préval, provided the passport.

A ‘distraction’

But the U.S. – which really runs the country in a troika with France and Canada – is unalterably opposed to an Aristide comeback. After last year’s devastating earthquake, the Americans said Aristide would be a distraction from the job of national reconstruction. Very little in the way of reconstruction has gotten done since then, but the Americans now claim that Aristide would distract from the runoff elections scheduled for March 20.

Three out of four Haitians were already distracted from taking part in the first round of elections in November, without Aristide’s presence. That was undoubtedly because Aristide’s party, Fanmi Lavalas, by far the most popular political grouping in the country, was prohibited from participating – also at the insistence of the Americans and the tiny Haitian elite with which they are allied.

Brazil silent

Brazil acts as rent-a-cop for the United Nations mission in Haiti, MINUSTAH, but WikiLeaks documents show the United States has pressured Brazil to use its influence with South Africa to keep Aristide’s feet planted firmly on African soil.

More:
http://www.flcourier.com/fleditorial/4722-america-campaigns-to-keep-aristide-in-south-africa

[Peace Patriot]

10. What's this about Brazil being "silent"?

I read the rest of it...

-------

Brazil silent

Brazil acts as rent-a-cop for the United Nations mission in Haiti, MINUSTAH, but WikiLeaks documents show the United States has pressured Brazil to use its influence with South Africa to keep Aristide’s feet planted firmly on African soil.

Brazil dearly wants to get a seat on the United Nations Security Council, and feels it cannot afford to make the Yankees angry.

South Africa claims it’s under no pressure from anybody, but then claims it has an obligation to consult "all the role-players to work out the ideal conditions for him to go back." Clearly, those "role-players" are the Americans and their French and Canadian co-conspirators.

Aristide’s lawyer says he will not attempt to leave South Africa without permission. Of course, if South Africa gave its blessing to an Aristide flight to Haiti, the U.S. would be forced to abandon the charade and give Aristide a yes or a no, in its own voice – which would expose Washington as the occupying power in Haiti. Gone would be all pretensions that the Americans favor Haitian democracy.

In hopes of putting the U.S. on the spot, a group of social activists, including Rev. Jesse Jackson, Danny Glover, Randall Robinson, Dick Gregory, and 11 others sent a letter to South African President Jacob Zuma.

No obstacles

The letter expressed hope that President Zuma "can assist the Aristides in making their transition as soon as possible." It said, "All the last remaining obstacles to the Aristides’ return have been removed," and expectations have been raised among Haitians that Aristide will soon arrive. But even Aristide’s lawyer, Ira Kurzban – who was wildly optimistic only a few weeks ago – seems resigned that Aristide won’t be going home any time soon.

So all the Haitian people have to look forward to is this month’s elections that they didn’t want anyway, for candidates that were essentially forced on them by the United States – an exercise that nobody but Americans believes has anything to do with democracy. --from the OP

---------------------------------

Brazil has REFUSED to endorse the utter crap that the U.S. foisted on Honduras--a martial law election even while leftists were being jailed, tortured, raped and murdered. So I'm surprised to hear this about Brazil and Haiti and I wonder if the writer isn't over-interpreting the Wikileaks cables. I have no doubt the U.S. was TRYING to pressure Brazil about Aristide/Haiti, but the U.S. tries to do a lot of things that fall like lead balloons in Latin America. We need to read the actual cables to know for sure.

[EFerrari]

12. Or verify with Weisbrot, Grandin or Kim Ives. nt

[EFerrari]

15. Greg doesn't seem to be using twitter much

although he has an account. Asked Kim and CEPRDC

[EFerrari]

18. Kim Ives, one of the very best Haiti reporters, seems to agree.

http://twitter.com/#!/kimives13/status/46663586126381056

So, some version of that analysis must be right.

[rabs]

7. Manigat and Martelly were both fund raising

in South Florida a few days ago, as well as in the Northeast corridor. Both especially concentrated on the large Florida Haitian community.

What struck me as funny is that the AP story had a new label for Martelly, who is known to have consorted with Baby Doc's thugs.

The AP now calls Martelly a "pro-military populist."

[EFerrari]

8. LOL. I missed that bit.

:)

[rabs]

9. "Sweet Micky," the pro-military populist

Haitian candidate 'Sweet Micky' fundraises in Fla.

By JENNIFER KAY
Associated Press
CORAL GABLES, Fla. -- It's time to start selling the true image of Haiti as a rich country instead of a disaster-prone, impoverished wreck, a candidate in the Caribbean country's presidential runoff election said Wednesday.

Tourism and investment, along with education, jobs and health care, will help solve the security issues that have plagued Haiti, said Michel Martelly at a campaign stop in South Florida.

"We have nice beaches, nice weather. Our lands are fertile and have not been exploited," Martelly said. "I welcome people to start looking at what Haiti is going to be."

The pro-military populist also would reinstate Haiti's army to replace United Nations peacekeepers whom, while controlling kidnapping gangs, many Haitians resent as foreign occupiers.

A new Haitian military would include security forces, a forestry team, engineers and a medical corps, Martelly said. Troops would be recruited for their competence, not their political loyalties, he said.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/03/02/2092999_haitian-candidate-sweet-micky.html#

---------------


Monday March 07, 2011 05:34 PM ET

Haitian presidential candidate and former first lady Mirlande Manigat was in South Florida over the weekend for a fundraising and to speak in Miami's Little Haiti.

"Manigat told her supporters, many of them well-educated members of South Florida's Haitian business community, that she needs their expertise as well as their money to win the March 20 runoff election against former singer Michel "Sweet Mickey" Martelly."

Michel Martelly said in his previous rally, "Haitians are saying 'ban-m manman-m' (give me my mother) and Mirlande Manigat seems to have answered that...

http://www.belpolitik.com/blog.php/268

[EFerrari]

11. Kim Ives say, on the 17th in a SA jet.

http://twitter.com/#!/kimives13/status/46398924054994944

[rabs]

13. AP chimes in from Joburg

ARISTIDE RETURNING TO HAITI

Associated Press
In Print: Saturday, March 12, 2011

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — Ousted Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide will return within days to his homeland, ending seven years in exile, a South African official said Friday. The former priest remains hugely popular, and his return could disrupt the presidential runoff this month in his earthquake-ravaged country.

In Haiti, an official with Aristide's Lavalas Party confirmed that his "return is imminent."

"It's an important event for the people in Haiti because they have waited so long for this," said Maryse Narcisse, the head of Lavalas' executive council.

The party has been barred from taking part in the election, and thousands of his supporters marched last month, threatening to disrupt the election if he is not allowed to return. Many said they would boycott the March 20 runoff because any election excluding Lavalas is not valid.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/aristide-returning-to-haiti/1156812

------------------

If Aristide does arrive on the 17th as Kim Ives says (three days before the runoff election), then it is going to be



time for Hillary, Manigat and Sweet Micky.

[suffragette]

16. Sorry I saw this too late to recommend

But here's a hearty kick.

[Overseas]

17. So glad to hear it!

I hope all goes well.