Aristide
Did Not Resign
But Was Kidnapped
By Democracy
Now
March 01, 2004
DemocracyNow.org
Multiple
sources that just spoke with Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide
told Democracy Now! that Aristide says he was "kidnapped"
and taken by force to the Central African Republic. Congressmember Maxine
Waters said she received a call from Aristide at 9am EST. "He's
surrounded by military. It's like he is in jail, he said. He says he
was kidnapped," said Waters.
She said he had
been threatened by what he called US diplomats. According to Waters,
the diplomats reportedly told the Haitian president that if he did not
leave Haiti, paramilitary leader Guy Philippe would storm the palace
and Aristide would be killed. According to Waters, Aristide was told
by the US that they were withdrawing Aristide's US security.
TransAfrica founder
and close Aristide family friend Randall Robinson also received a call
from the Haitian president early this morning and confirmed Waters account.
Robinson said that Aristide "emphatically" denied that he
had resigned. "He did not resign," he said. "He was abducted
by the United States in the commission of a coup." Robinson says
he spoke to Aristide on a cell phone that was smuggled to the Haitian
president.
Developing...
RUSH TRANSCRIPT
AMY GOODMAN: This
is Democracy Now! I'm Amy Goodman. Congressmember Waters, can you tell
us about the conversation you just had with Haitian President Jean-Bertrand
Aristide?
MAXINE WATERS: I
most certainly can and he's anxious for me to get the message out so
people will understand. He is in the Central Republic of Africa at a
place called the Palace of the Renaissance, and he's not sure if that's
a house or a hotel or what it is and he is surrounded by military.
It's like in jail,
he said. He said that he was kidnapped; he said that he was forced to
leave Haiti. He said that the American embassy sent the diplomats; he
referred to them as, to his home where they was lead by Mr.
Moreno. And I believe that Mr. Moreno is a deputy chief of staff at
the embassy in Haiti and other diplomats, and they ordered him to leave.
They said you must go NOW. He said that they said that Guy Phillipe
and U.S.
Marines were coming to Port Au Prince; he will be killed, many Haitians
will be killed, that they would not stop until they did what they wanted
to do.
He was there with
his wife Mildred and his brother-in-law and two of his security people,
and somebody from the Steel Foundation, and they're all, there's five
of them that are there. They took them where-- they did stop in Antigua
then they stopped at a military base, then they were in the air for
hours and then they arrived at this place and they were met by five
ministers of government. It's a Francophone country, they speak French.
And they were then taken to this place called the Palace of the Renaissance
where they are being held and they are surrounded by military people.
They are not free to do whatever they want to do. Then the phone clicked
off after we had talked for about five--we talked maybe fifteen minutes
and then the phone clicked off. But he, some of it was muffled in the
beginning, at times it was clear. But one thing that was very clear
and he said it over and over again, that he was kidnapped, that the
coup was completed by the Americans that they forced him out.
They had also disabled
his American security force that he had around him for months now; they
did not allow them to extend their numbers. To begin with they wanted
them to bring in more people to provide security they prevented them
from doing that and then they finally forced them out of the country.
So that's where his is and I said to him that I would do everything
I could to get the word out.
that I heard it directly from him
I heard it directly from his wife that they were kidnapped, they were
forced to leave, they did not want to leave, their lives were threatened
and the lives of many Haitians were threatened. And I said that we would
be in touch with the State Department, with the President today and
if at all possible we would try to get to him. We don't know whether
or not he is going to be moved. We will try and find that information
out today.
AMY GOODMAN: Did
President Aristide say whether or not he resigned?
MAXINE WATERS: He
did not resign. He said he was forced out, that the coup was completed.
AMY GOODMAN: So
again to summarize, Congressmember Maxine Waters, you have just gotten
off the phone with President Jean Bertrand Aristide, who said he believes
he is in the Central African Republic.
MAXINE WATERS: That's
right, with French speaking officers, he's surrounded by them and he's
in this place called the Palace of the Renaissance and he was forced
to go there. They took him there.
AMY GOODMAN: What
are you going to do right now?
MAXINE WATERS: I'm
going to get to the State Dept to find out what do they plan on doing
with him. Do they plan on leaving him there or are they planning on
taking him to another country? We are going to tell them we would like
to see him. We are prepared to go where he is NOW and that we are demanding
that we are able to see him and go where he is. And to negotiate what
will be done with him.
AMY GOODMAN: Did
he describe how he was taken out? We had heard reports in Haiti that
he was taken out in handcuffs. Did he
MAXINE WATERS: No
he did not say he was taken out in handcuffs. He simply said that they
came led by Mr. Moreno followed by the marines and they said simply
"you have to go!" You have no choice, you must go and if you
don't you will be killed and many Haitians will be killed. We are planning
with Mr. De filliped to come into Puerto Rico. He will not be alone
he will come with American military and you will not survive, you will
be killed. You've got to go now!
AMY GOODMAN: How
did President Aristide sound? What was the quality of his voice?
MAXINE WATERS: The
quality of his voice was anxious, angry, disturbed, wanting people to
know the truth.
AMY GOODMAN: Did
he say why he had not made any calls since early on Sunday morning;
that people had not been in touch with him for more than 36 hours. Certainly
this plane was equipped with a telephone?
MAXINE WATERS: OH,
I don't think they were able to make any calls from the plane. They
were only allowed to make calls once they landed. And I think the only
call that they had made was to her mother who is in Florida and her
brother. But they were not allowed
they had no access to telephone
calls
to a telephone on the plane.
AMY GOODMAN: What
is the next step
what are you going to do? What do you think the
people in this country should being doing about this situation in Haiti?
MAXINE WATERS: First
of all I think the people in this country should be outraged that our
government led a coup de'tat against a democratically elected President.
They should call, write. Fax with their outrage, not only to the State
Dept. but to all of their elected officials and to the press.
We have to keep
the information flying in the air so people will get it and understand
what is taking place. And for those of us who are elected officials
we must not only get to the President, we must demand that he is returned
to claim his presidency if that is what he wants. If you can recall
what happened in Venezuela when Mr. Chavez was
they tried to force
him out and they had someone step into the presidency and he had not
resigned his presidency and he got it back. I did not have that conversation
with President Aristide but we must meet with him and we must talk with
him and be prepared to protect him.
AMY GOODMAN: Congressmember
Maxine Waters I want to thank you for being with us again. Congress
member Waters has just spoken with President Aristide who she says said
he was kidnapped and is now with his wife and surrounded by security
in the Central African Republic.