Many Haitians Doubt Rebels Will Disarm
By MARK STEVENSON

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) – 3-02-04 |  Haitians stayed off the streets Thursday, as many doubted that rebel forces would disarm as promised despite a temporary show of U.S. military and diplomatic muscle.

The disarmament pledge Wednesday by rebel leader Guy Philippe signaled the end of a monthlong rebellion that killed at least 130 people.

At least three people were killed Wednesday when rebels and militants loyal to ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide fought an hourlong gunbattle in a slum near the looted seaport.

Aristide supporters demonstrating in front of the National Palace scattered Wednesday, saying they feared they would be shot.

The United States sent Marines into the capital, Philippe visited the residence of the U.S. ambassador and declared his fighters would lay down their arms.

Many Haitians remained doubtful.

``The rebels want to take over the country,'' said Gracious Laguenne, a 54-year-old tailor. ``As soon as the Americans leave, they're going to come back and it will be the same thing all over again.''

The Bush administration sent the Marines in Sunday after Aristide fled the country with the rebels nearing Port-au-Prince and U.S. and French officials pressing him to resign.

The United States, with its military already overextended in Iraq and Afghanistan, has indicated it wants its troops in Haiti for as short a time as possible.

Caribbean leaders called for an independent international inquiry into the departure of Aristide, who claims he was abducted at gunpoint by U.S. Marines - a charge Washington strongly denies. The leaders signaled their anger by saying they would not provide troops for the U.N. peacekeeping force.

At an emergency summit in Jamaica of the 15-nation Caribbean Community, Jamaican Prime Minister P.J. Patterson called it a ``very dangerous precedent'' for all democratically elected leaders.

Aristide remained in the Central African Republic, where officials said Wednesday they still were hunting for a third country to take him in permanently.

Port-au-Prince's streets were nearly empty. Shoeshine boys and banana vendors looked in vain for customers. The few gas stations open had long lines.

Daphnee Saintilima, trying to sell a pile of papayas, voiced the preoccupation of most people in this country, where two-thirds of the 8 million people go hungry every day.

``The most important thing for me is to feed my family. I'm tired of politics. Politics doesn't feed me,'' she said.

On Wednesday, U.S. Marines warily fanned out from the presidential palace in their first reconnaissance in force.

Amid the occasional pop of a distant gunshot, a convoy of 10 machine-gun-mounted Humvees and armored vehicles rumbled onto trash-strewn streets and patrolled about 30 blocks. As burned-out cars were pushed from roads, Marine riflemen watched from behind the sights of their weapons.

Residents peered warily from balconies. Some showed open hostility.

It was a far cry from the tumultuous welcome Haitians accorded the 20,000 U.S. troops who invaded in 1994 to chase out brutal military dictators and restore the ousted Aristide.

In downtown Bel Air, a stronghold of Aristide loyalists, one man waved angrily at the Marines' light-armored vehicles and tried to shove a wrecked car they had removed back into the street.

For some, the foreign peacekeepers are an occupying force cementing Aristide's removal.

``People are still angry (at Aristide's departure). Just because we have tanks patrolling, it doesn't make things better,'' said Marie-Claude Augustine, 46. ``The rebels need to just go, and so do the Americans.''

Col. Mark Gurganis, commander of the U.S. troops in Haiti, said he and some other U.S. officials asked Philippe at a meeting Wednesday to honor his words to lay down arms if Aristide resigned.

The day after he had declared himself Haiti's ``military chief,'' Philippe declared, ``Now that there are foreign troops promising to protect the Haitian people ... we will lay down our arms.''

His fighters looked glum, but one said they would obey.

``Sure, some of us may not be happy about the decision to lay down arms, but we are army,'' said Francois Ferdinand, 44, a 12-year veteran of the army Aristide disbanded in 1995. ``We have a hierarchy, commanding officers and we'll always obey orders.''

The rebels then abandoned the former army headquarters they had occupied since Monday, disappearing with their guns.

Rebel leaders have said they wanted to rebuild the army, which has a murderous history in Haiti and fomented 32 coups in its 200 years of independence from France.

Aristide, Haiti's first freely elected president, was wildly popular when voters chose him in 1990. But he is accused of condoning corruption, with aides leading lavish lifestyles fueled by drug-trafficking, while the poor got poorer. As opposition mounted, he is accused of using the police, armed gangs and militant loyalists to crush his opponents.

Interim President Boniface Alexandre, making his first address to the nation since the former Supreme Court chief justice was sworn in Sunday, replaced national Police Chief Joceline Pierre with Leon Charles, a U.S.-trained former head of the Haitian coast guard.

Alexandre called the rebels ``patriotic men of honor'' - indicating there were no plans to arrest two rebel leaders who are convicted assassins - and asked them to disarm and help rebuild Haiti.

He also asked Aristide loyalists to disarm, assuring them Aristide's Lavalas party will ``play a role in the democratic process that we are starting.''

Prime Minister Yvon Neptune estimated damage from looting at $300 million.

He also said he had frozen all government bank accounts except those controlled by the president. It was unclear if that was to stop illegal withdrawals or indicated a future investigation into corruption.

Marine commanders said they had 1,000 troops on the ground, with a mission that included protecting Haitian civilians from reprisals. Previously, they said they were there only to protect U.S. citizens and interests.

Chile said it was sending 120 special forces to Haiti, the first of about 300. France said it would have 420 soldiers and police in place by week's end. They are the vanguard of a peacekeeping force expected to number about 5,000.

Associated Press writers Paisley Dodds and Ian James in Port-au-Prince contributed to this report.