Amid poverty and turmoil, Haiti celebrates bicentennial

by Dominique Levanti

Friday, January 2, 2004

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AFP): Haitian President Jean Bertrand Aristide on Thursday celebrated the bicentennial of his country, a tiny Caribbean island state torn by political chaos and gripped by the hemisphere's most abject poverty.

The former Roman Catholic priest, with South African President Thabo Mbeki at his side, took the rostrum in front of the National Palace to declare before an ocean of flag-waving supporters, "a bicentennial of freedom, for a millennium of peace."

The anniversary commemorated history's only successful revolt by slaves, who sent Napoleon's troops packing 200 years ago.

But what should have been a festive event for Aristide was marred by demonstrations demanding his resignation, under a cloud of elusive democracy, economic chaos, primitive health care and sanitary conditions.

The festivities were also marred by thousands of Aristide's supporters and opponents clashing in the capital in a stone-throwing melee that left at least six injured.

The president put on a brave and sunny face, rousing his hand-picked audience with a colorful mix of French, Creole, English and Spanish, telling them Haiti was "the geographic pivot for black freedom" and hailing the US purchase of the Louisiana Territory from France, also 200 years ago.

"The United States without Louisiana would not be the United State today," he said.

Mbeki was the only head of state among the 24 foreign representations at the festivities.

France sent a legislative delegation and the United States, angered when Aristide recognized communist-ruled Cuba in 1996, was represented only by its ambassador and California Congresswoman Maxine Waters of the Congressional Black Caucus.

The South African president hailed Haiti for "one of history's greatest revolutions" and called for a "chain of solidarity to combat poverty, underdevelopment and instability," saying: "We must work for democracy and tolerance."

Aristide used the occasion to announce general elections later this year, "with the opposition and civil society."

He did not stipulate a date, but made clear his intention to serve out his five-year term, which runs to 2006.

The opposition is demanding his resignation as a pre-condition for any elections.

The president also thanked Cuba for its medical aid, pointing to improvements in health and education and promising a glowing program of progress through 2015.

In the afternoon, Aristide gave a speech in the northwestern city of Gonaives, focal point of anti-government opposition and the spot where independence was proclaimed 200 years ago.

But he cut short his visit there and an ecumenical service planned in the city's cathedral was cancelled. Police were heard firing shots as the president's motorcade passed.

Aristide, elected in 1990 on a wave of democratic hope, is today opposed by a broad sector of the population, which accuses him and his entourage of involvement in political assassinations, illegal enrichment and links to drug trafficking. Haiti is said to be a key trading point for narcotics.

Since the May 2000 legislative elections whose outcome was heavily contested, followed by the presidential election, boycotted by the opposition and which retained Aristide by 91 percent of the vote, Haiti has become inexorably mired in political crisis.

Led by Washington, which has frozen its aid to Haiti, the international community is pressuring Aristide's government to hold parliamentary elections, which have been put on hold for lack of adequate security and by opposition demands that Aristide first resign.

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