Pressure forces Aristide out
US sends Marines in bid to quell chaos in Haitian capital
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- Embattled Haitian leader Jean-Bertrand Aristide resigned the presidency yesterday and fled his troubled country, giving in to heavy pressure from the United States, domestic political opponents, and armed rebels who threatened to storm the capital if he remained in power.
President Bush dispatched US Marines to help secure the chaotic capital, which exploded with anger, gunfire, and looting after residents learned of Aristide's clandestine departure early yesterday from the Port-au-Prince airport. Haitian Chief Justice Boniface Alexandre, under the terms of the national constitution, quickly was sworn in to replace Aristide, who was headed to an undisclosed location outside the country. The first Marines began arriving about 9 last night.
United Nations diplomats in New York said members of the Security Council had reached an agreement to send an international force to restore order, and voted unanimously last night to authorize a multinational force to remain in Haiti for up to three months.
"President Aristide has taken the difficult decision to give his resignation because he didn't want a bloodbath in the country," said Prime Minister Yvon Neptune, who said he will retain his position in the transitional government. As he spoke, looters plundered shops and banks, fired guns, and set fire to two radio stations sympathetic to Aristide's political opponents. Two dead bodies were seen on the winding road leading down the hill from Neptune's official residence, where he introduced the new president. Other bodies were strewn throughout the capital; some of the people had been hacked to death as a violent tit-for-tat began between the warring sides.
"I should confess to you sincerely that the task will not be easy for me," said Alexandre, looking startled about his new role as chief of state as he read from a statement written in longhand. "Politics is not my best asset. I count on you, the Haitian people, to help me build a new Haiti."
But questions lingered over whether Aristide left office voluntarily. Ira Kurzban, Aristide's Miami-based lawyer, said yesterday that the 50-year-old Haitian leader was "kidnapped" by US troops and taken forcibly from the National Palace. Kurzban said he was not able to contact Aristide and feared for his safety.
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After sweeping through the countryside with ease over the past three weeks, rebel forces from the National Liberation Front entered Port-au-Prince yesterday. By late afternoon, the Front, whose core members are former Haitian military personnel, patrolled the streets. Some rebels were welcomed by local residents.
Earlier in the day, rebel leader Guy Philippe, who had pledged to take over the capital in the coming days, said yesterday he would come to Port-au-Prince, but in the role of peacemaker.
"We don't intend to fight anymore. Time is up for fighting anymore," Philippe said on CNN's "Late Edition," adding that he welcomed the arrival of the Marines.
James B. Foley, the US ambassador to Haiti, sent a warning message to the rebels not to advance on the capital, where pro-Aristide Haitians responded with anger and violence over the loss of their leader.
"I believe it is a tremendous test of their credibility," Foley said. "They said they would lay down their arms if Aristide resigned. He has resigned."
He added that the rebels "understand the international community is coming here," a subtle reminder to Philippe that he would encounter not only Aristide loyalists but also heavily armed and well-trained US Marines and international troops if he tried to capture Port-au-Prince.
Neptune also promised that "all who have caused death and sown violence should be taken before the courts and punished according to the law."
During the nearly monthlong insurgency, which has claimed at least 100 lives, Aristide refused to step down, despite escalating pressure from foreign governments, a growing political opposition movement, and Philippe's forces.
Foley and Neptune both insisted that Aristide had himself decided to make the "sacrifice" of his power to salvage the safety and well-being of his people.
Neptune read a statement he said was from Aristide: "If . . . my resignation is the decision that can avoid a bloodbath, I consent to leave with hope there will be life, not death."
Aristide made no public announcement of his decision and was helped to the airport before dawn by US soldiers, who Foley said "facilitated his safe departure."
The former Catholic priest boarded a small plane at 6:15 a.m. and left the country, Foley said.
"He felt his resignation, making this personal sacrifice, would help to heal the nation," said Foley, who stood directly behind Neptune and Alexandre for the announcement of the new government.
"President Aristide wanted it otherwise, but unfortunately, it didn't happen that way," Neptune said.
Tensions remained high yesterday in the capital. The loud rat-a-tat of gunfire started early, as residents learned of the morning's developments. Smoke billowed up from the valley neighborhoods that make up some of Port-au-Prince's worst slums. Alexandre's swearing-in was delayed because the judge who was to officiate was blocked inside the center of the city and had to be escorted up to the prime minister's residence, local police said.
Members of the "chimeres," the militant supporters of Aristide, took to the streets with masks and kerchiefs covering their faces, waving guns and shooting into the air. Crowds of people gathered around the presidential palace, shouting angrily, while others raided stores, most of which have been closed during the recent violence. A safe was seen taken from a local bank.
Initially, police resisted calls to return to their posts, some of which had been burned and looted. But late in the day, uniformed men, joined by well-armed civilians, were gathering their forces for what they hoped would be the final battle against pro-Aristide supporters.
"Tonight's the big night," said a 30-year-old man holding a modified M-16 assault rifle. "Tonight we make sure it stops for sure."
The man, who called himself M-4, was part of a group of civilians who had taken up arms against the "chimeres." He said his brother was paralyzed after being shot by the pro-Aristide groups. He and his well-armed colleagues were businessmen who numbered almost 100.
"This is the first step: to stop them from going and killing and shooting," he said as they piled into sport utility vehicles and departed for the city center, where the fighting continued.
Aristide had long counted the US government as a friend, a country that sent more than 20,000 troops to Haiti in 1994 to reinstall him as the Caribbean nation's democratically elected leader. Aristide had been ousted in a 1991 military coup.
But Washington grew increasingly disenchanted with Aristide, a once-popular leader whom political opponents have accused of corruption and human rights abuses. American officials brokered a peace deal last week that Aristide accepted, but it was rejected by democratic opposition forces and the rebels. As rebel forces neared the city and worries grew of a bloody battle between Aristide loyalists and the deposed president's foes, the White House stepped up its pressure on Aristide.
By the middle of last week, French officials openly suggested that Aristide step down. On Saturday night, the White House issued a blunt statement questioning Aristide's "fitness to continue to govern Haiti" and said the current crisis was largely Aristide's fault.
Twelve hours later, Aristide was headed to the small plane that would take him away.
Farah Stockman Of The Globe Staff Contributed To This Report From Washington. Material From The Associated Press Also Was Used.
