Re: Aristide Kidnapped

http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/americas/03/01/haiti.revolt/index.html

now do you believe?

<snip>

On Monday, African-American activist Randall Robinson said Aristide had
called him on a smuggled cell phone and told him that he did not leave
office voluntarily. Robinson said Aristide told him he was "abducted" by
U.S. soldiers in "full battle gear" early Sunday and was being held
"incommunicado" in the Central African Republic.

The kidnapping accusation also was reported Monday by Rep. Maxine
Waters, D-California, and Aristide's attorney, Ira Kurzman. Waters said
she had spoken with Aristide by phone, and Kurzman said the story
originated with groundskeepers and housekeepers at Aristide's Haiti home.

</snip>


################################################################

Rebels enter police headquarters in Haitian capital

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (CNN) --Greeted by hundreds of cheering
supporters, heavily armed Haitian rebels drove into Port-au-Prince on
Monday, entering the headquarters of the national police, the stronghold
of supporters of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

The headquarters is just down the street from the presidential palace
where U.S. Marine peacekeepers are stationed. Crowds of supporters
swelled, marching past the palace while cheering and chanting.

The rebels -- who had opposed Aristide's presidency -- said they would
not visit the palace. They reiterated rebel leader Guy Philippe's pledge
to support interim President Boniface Alexandre and the nation's
democratic process.

There was no sign of pro-Aristide forces who had fought against the
rebels until his resignation and departure for Africa on Sunday.

U.S., Canadian and French peacekeeping troops were fanning out in
Port-au-Prince to secure important areas, as U.S. Secretary of State
Colin Powell said Monday he's pleased with the international community's
quick response to the crisis.

"The looting and violence has gone down somewhat overnight," Powell
said. "We'll have to see what daylight brings."

A day after Aristide left the country, Haitians awoke Monday with a new
interim president and with Aristide in Bangui, the capital of the
Central African Republic.
Activist claims Aristide abducted

On Sunday, Haitian Prime Minister Yvon Neptune announced that Aristide
had resigned and had left the nation for an unknown destination. His
address was followed by the installation of Alexandre, Haiti's Supreme
Court chief justice, as the president of a transitional government, as
mandated by Haiti's constitution.

On Monday, African-American activist Randall Robinson said Aristide had
called him on a smuggled cell phone and told him that he did not leave
office voluntarily. Robinson said Aristide told him he was "abducted" by
U.S. soldiers in "full battle gear" early Sunday and was being held
"incommunicado" in the Central African Republic.

The kidnapping accusation also was reported Monday by Rep. Maxine
Waters, D-California, and Aristide's attorney, Ira Kurzman. Waters said
she had spoken with Aristide by phone, and Kurzman said the story
originated with groundskeepers and housekeepers at Aristide's Haiti home.

"The State Department refused to put me in contact with my client,"
Kurzman said. "I have found out today everything that was my worst
nightmare. Today I have learned that the president of the Republic of
Haiti was kidnapped by U.S. Marines, taken forcibly from his home, put
on an American aircraft," he said.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan described the claims as "complete
nonsense." "Conspiracy theories do nothing to help the Haitian people
move forward to a better, more free and more prosperous future,"
McClellan said Monday.

An Associated Press report filed early Monday from Central African
Republic included no mention of U.S. troops accompanying Aristide and
his wife during their arrival in Bangui. (Full story)

Speaking on the radio in the African nation on Monday, Aristide said
that opposition rebels who pushed for his ouster "chopped down the tree
of peace, but it will grow again."

The communications minister of the Central African Republic said the
abduction claim is "absolutely false." The minister, Parfait Mbaye, said
Aristide had been granted permission to land in the country after
Aristide himself -- as well as the U.S. and French governments --
requested it.

Ken Robinson, CNN national security analyst, said the claims are dubious.

"When he landed in the Central African Republic, he addressed the nation
on radio and he made no mention of this," Robinson said. "And now all of
a sudden he's making late calls in this regard. I think it's pretty
specious."
Powell rebuffs criticism

Meanwhile, Powell rejected criticism that accused the Bush
administration of waiting too long to take action in Haiti. He expressed
hope for a peaceful and democratic future for the Caribbean nation.

The United States, Powell said, has "ways of talking to the various
rebel leaders and [is] pleased that at least so far they've said they're
not interested in violence any more and will put down their arms."

Aristide -- the first democratically elected president in Haiti's 200
years of independence -- left office after a bloody revolt by armed
rebels spread from the north of the country and threatened a siege of
Port-au-Prince. Aristide's current term as president was to last until
2006, but his political opponents claimed the election was fraudulent
and demanded nothing less than his ouster.

In an effort to stabilize the capital, more than 200 Marines had been
deployed to Port-au-Prince by Monday morning, and the first contingent
of 50 French forces arrived shortly after 7 a.m. A small contingent of
Canadian troops is already in the city.

A total of about 130 French troops are expected to arrive in Haiti on
Monday "to ensure the security of French citizens," a spokesman for
President Jacques Chirac said. Another 150 French soldiers will deploy
from Martinique in the next few days, French officials said.

On Sunday, with armed gangs roaming Port-au-Prince, President Bush
ordered the Marines deployed to the country and said, "I urge the people
of Haiti to reject violence and give this break from the past a chance
to work and the United States is prepared to help."

Shortly after the Marines landed in Haiti later in the day, the U.N.
Security Council voted unanimously to send a multinational peacekeeping
force to Haiti for up to three months.

CNN's Suzanne Malveaux, Elise Labott, Barbara Starr, Lucia Newman,
Richard Roth and Ingrid Arnesen contributed to this report.

Copyright 2004 CNN. All rights reserved. This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press
contributed to this report.



Find this article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/americas/03/01/haiti.revolt/index.html

Adam Miller wrote:
>>check out
>>democracy now who--actually broke the story.]
> 
> 
> Now, Aaron - VPR said that Democracy Now is not a valid news source. Until you can find this story on NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, or CNN, I refuse to accept it as true. Same for VPR.
> -A(m)
> 
> 
> 
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