Journal GMontag's Journal: The Hon. Maxine Waters Up to Her Old Tricks 13
Monday, March 1st, 2004
Rep Maxine Waters: Aristide Says 'I Was Kidnapped'
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. Click on this link to read a full transcript of the Democracy Now! interview with Rep. Maxine Waters.
Someone reputable disagrees:
Remarks at U.S.- EU Ministerial Joint Press Conference
With Irish Foreign Minister Brian Cowen, EU High
Representative Javier Solana, and EU External Affairs
Commissioner Christopher Patten
Secretary Colin L. Powell
Dean Acheson Auditorium
Washington, DC
March 1, 2004
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, two questions about Haiti, sir. One, there have been accusations, including some by Congresswoman Maxine Waters, that Aristide was actually handcuffed and turned over by the Embassy to military officials and kidnapped out of the country. Secretary Rumsfeld referred back to the State Department to respond to that, so, if you would.
And on a broader level, I wanted to ask you, especially given the State Department's annual report on corruption in the Haitian Government involving the drug trafficking and the other problems in finding channels for international aid. What needs to be done to make this a viable country? How do we get aid in? What steps would you recommend be taken, even before there is a functioning government?
SECRETARY POWELL: On the first question, the allegations that somehow we kidnaped former President Aristide are absolutely baseless, absurd. And it's rather unfortunate that in this sensitive time, when we are trying to stabilize the situation in Haiti and when we're sending in a multinational interim force to help bring about that stability and we're trying to put a political process on track, I think it's very unfortunate that these kinds of absurd charges are leveled at us.
I was intimately involved in this situation all through Saturday night. The first call we received from security people of President Aristide, people who work for him who contacted our security people, and there was a question about their ability to continue protecting him. And he wanted to discuss with our Ambassador the possibility of departure and he had several questions that he put to our Ambassador.
The Ambassador consulted with me and Assistant Secretary Noriega by telephone. We told him he could take the call and see what President Aristide had in mind. And he talked about protection of property, protection of his personal property, his -- property of some of his ministers, and would he have some choice as to where he was going if he decided to leave.
We gave him answers to these questions, positive answers. And then in the course of the evening, other conversations took place. He said he wanted to think about it, he wanted to speak to his wife, which he did. And he came back to us and said that it was his decision, based on what his security people were also telling him about the deteriorating situation, that he should leave. And we made arrangements for his departure. He was -- he wrote a letter of resignation. I think he might have been in touch with other people. And a leased plane was brought in and he departed at 6:15, thereabouts on Sunday morning.
He was not kidnaped. We did not force him onto the airplane. He went onto the airplane willingly. And that's the truth. And it would have been better for Members of Congress who have heard these stories to ask us about the stories before going public with them so that we don't make a difficult situation that much more difficult.
The first destination that he wanted to go to would not receive him at this time, and so we went through about an hour and a half of difficult negotiations with various countries and with friends of ours to find alternative locations that he might go to -- while the plane was in the air.
And I'm very pleased that the Central African Republic showed a willingness to accept him on an interim basis, and that's where President Aristide and members of his family went, accompanied by his own personal security. Some 15 members of his personal security detachment were with him from his house to the airport, on to the plane with him, on to the refueling locations, and on to the Central African Republic. And that's what's happened, notwithstanding any cell phone reports to the contrary.
Oh, before the echo chamer gets going about the handcuffs, well known supporter of slavery, The Honerable Charles Rangel said this:
But Rep. Charles Rangel, a New York Democrat and like Waters a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, said after talking by telephone with Aristide that interpreting his allegations of "kidnapping" was "subjective."
"They strongly suggested that he get out of town. The military helped him make the decision," Rangel told reporters as a Congressional Black Caucus delegation met in New York with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to discuss Haiti.
"President Aristide feels that it was a coup, that he felt he was kidnapped, that he was told by the United States authority that they could no longer protect his life," he said.
While there had been reports Aristide left Haiti in handcuffs, Aristide denied this, Rangel said. "He said he was not in handcuffs. He felt like he was in handcuffs."
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Well, you have to ask- (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Well, you have to ask- (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Well, you have to ask- (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Well, you have to ask- (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Well, you have to ask- (Score:1)
Re:Well, you have to ask- (Score:2)
I quit generalizing liberals, I need to do the same with democrats. mybad.
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Well, you have to ask- (Score:1)