In their presentations to the United Nations Security Council last week, the ministers made the case for supporting the Aristide government.
Arguing that it was not a question of taking sides in Haiti’s internal affairs, Minister Mitchell and Knight were concerned with the question of support for a fledgling democracy.
Minister Mitchell indicated that it was ironic that the United States would not support the CARICOM position, suggesting that U.S. support was critical not only for Haiti, but also for other democratic countries.
Over the weekend, Minister Mitchell expressed some dismay at the position taken by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, who was convinced that the democratically-elected Aristide had become a liability to peace in Haiti.
Ironically, the 50 marines who were ostensibly sent in to guard the U.S. interests in Haiti were the advance force used to assist Mr. Aristide in fleeing his beleaguered homeland.
Mr. Aristide was facing opposition on three levels: the official opposition in Haiti, thugs and terrorists and the international community, as led by the United States, France and Canada, among others.
Reaction to the Haitian president’s resignation was mixed among persons of Haitian descent and others who have closely followed developments in Haiti.
Only a few days ago, Mr. Aristide remained adamant that he would not leave office, but with a growing insurgency threatening a greater bloodbath in the capital, Port-au-Prince, he bowed out and was reported on Sunday to be headed to South Africa.
Mr. Aristide, a former Catholic priest, became Haiti’s first democratically elected president in 1990, but was overthrown in a coup in 1991. After pressure from U.S. officials, he was restored to power in 1994 and won a new term in 2000.
But his political opponents claimed that those elections were fraudulent, which led to the most recent wave of civil unrest in Haiti.
Minister Mitchell said on Sunday that the Bahamas government regrets the turn of events in Haiti, as it appears that a democratically elected president was ousted.
Now, CARICOM heads are preparing to meet in Kingston, Jamaica on Tuesday for an emergency meeting to reach consensus on restoring order in Haiti.
President Aristide left the country early Sunday, days after vowing that he would die before leaving. Haiti’s Supreme Court Chief Justice Boniface Alexandre was installed as the nation’s president in a transitional government.
Meanwhile, a resolution was to be presented to the UN Security Council on Sunday evening, which would authorize a security force under a United Nations umbrella.
“One assumes that this force that is going in which U.S Secretary of State Colin Powell did indicate was going in, is there to try and restore some kind of order to the situation,” Minister Mitchell told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to Minister Mitchell, CARICOM’s role is to continue to review the situation for peace and stability.
“Clearly this is all new,” he said. “A lot of it has to be processed as to what we do, where we go, Haiti’s membership in CARICOM, what we do about that, is the government interested in continuing the relationship…but it’s a bit too early to make those decisions.”
Minister Mitchell added that it is paramount for CARICOM not to allow its “disappointments” with decisions made on an international level to colour its relationship as it moves forward.
Despite CARICOM’s pleas on Thursday, the UN Security Council at the time rejected a decision to send a peacekeeping force into Haiti without a political settlement between the government and opposition.
“We have to stay focused on the goal of creating a peaceful, stable Haiti, to ensure that there is a peaceful, stable Bahamas and I think that’s what the area of concentration ought to be,” he said.
Minister Mitchell said Bahamians ought to consider the role the Bahamas is playing in trying to bring about a solution in Haiti.
“It is important for us to think our way through what is a very difficult and finely balanced issue between the issues that are on the ground in Haiti, our view of the legal situation with regards the presidency and the views of our international partners,” he said.
Also attending that news conference was Bahamian Ambassador to Haiti, Dr. Eugene Newry and his wife, Francois.
Dr. Newry said he still receives phone calls from persons on the ground in Haiti, updating him on the latest developments.
“What they’ve been saying is that in Port-au-Prince, the anti-Aristide groups are rejoicing,” Dr. Newry said. “You have the people who are rejoicing and the people who are very sad.”
His advice to Haitians living in the Bahamas is to do their best to maintain contact with relatives there.
“To use the Bahamian clich�, they’ve got to pray,” he said. “But also they’ve got to communicate with their people. I’m not sure how they’re going to do it now seeing that the Bahamian Embassy is not functioning at this moment. The Haitian churches are pretty active and perhaps they could get information that way and simply wait over a few days to see how the situation changes.”
He added, “There is a lot of anxiety in Haiti. I expect that the situation will not remain at this high intensity level indefinitely, but in the [meantime] they would simply have to wait and see and try to communicate.”
Dr. Newry and his wife returned to the Bahamas Friday evening after being “instructed” to do so by the government. Minister Mitchell made it clear though that Ambassador Newry has not been withdrawn from the embassy, but is just back for consultation.
Minister Mitchell added that Foreign Affairs officials have checked with local police about reaction amongst the Haitian community here.
“Apart from a protest which took place around a church, which we gather was really pro-Aristide supporters, there’s not been any disturbance and the police say they don’t expect there to be one,” he said.
Hadassah Hall, The Bahama Journal
