[News] Aristide and His Bodyguard Describe the U.S. Role In His Ouster

[News at freedomarchives.org]

Aristide and His Bodyguard Describe the U.S. Role In His Ouster


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In a broadcast exclusive, Democracy Now! Aristide goes on camera for the 
first time to charge the U.S. kidnapped him and overthrew his government. 
We also broadcast the first interview of his bodyguard Franz Gabriel. In a 
moment we will hear Aristide's detailed description of what transpired the 
night of the 28th/29th of February when he says he was kidnapped by the US 
and removed from Haiti.

Before we hear from Aristide, we wanted to go back to those days and listen 
to how the Bush administration was spinning the ouster.

On March 1, Democracy Now! broke the story that Aristide was directly 
accusing the US of overthrowing him in a coup, kidnapping him and taking 
him by force to the Central African Republic. That day US official after US 
official was asked about Aristide's charge. Lets listen to Defense 
Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Colin Powell and White House 
Secretary Scott McClellan.

    * Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld
    * Secretary of State Colin Powell
    * White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan

In my talks with President Aristide on board the plane Monday, I asked him 
if he had resigned-- as the Bush administration continues to allege.

PRESIDENT ARISTIDE: No, I didn't resign. What some people call 
resignationis a new coup d'etat,or modern kidnapping.

Because the circumstances under which Aristide was removed from Haiti 
continue to be a source of great international controversy, we felt we 
needed to get as comprehensive a version of events as possible from 
President Aristide. I asked him why he calls his removal from Haiti a coup 
and a kidnapping.

PRESIDENT ARISTIDE: &. they broke the constitutional order by using force 
to have me out of the country&

AMY GOODMAN: How did it happen?

PRESIDENT ARISTIDE: I will not go to details. Maybe next time. But as I 
said, they used force. When you have militaries coming from abroad 
surrounding your house, taking control of the airport, surrounding the 
national palace, being in the streets, and take you from your house to put 
you in the plane where you have to spend 20 hours without knowing where 
they were going to go with you, without talking about details which I 
already did somehow in other occasions. It was using force to take an 
elected president out of his country.

AMY GOODMAN: And was that the U.S. military that took you out?

PRESIDENT ARISTIDE: There were U.S. military and I suspect it could be also 
completed with the presence of all the militaries from other countries.

AMY GOODMAN: When they came to your house in the early morning of February 
29 was it U.S. military that came?

PRESIDENT ARISTIDE: There were diplomats, there were U.S. military, there 
were U.S. people.

AMY GOODMAN: And what did they tell you?

PRESIDENT ARISTIDE: Well, as I said, I prefer not go into details right now 
because I already talk about it in details on other occasions. And it's 
also opportunities for me to help the people focusing on the results of 
that kidnapping. They still continue to kill Haitians in Haiti; and 
Haitians continue to flee Haiti by boa. People and others have to go to 
hiding, others courageously went to the streets to demonstrate in a 
peaceful way, asking for my return and when we know what happened to those 
they killed, we have concerns about what may happen to those who peacefully 
demonstrate for my return.

AMY GOODMAN: The Bush administration said that when you -- after you got on 
the plane, when you were leaving, you spoke with CARICOM leaders. Is this 
true?

PRESIDENT ARISTIDE: They lied. I never had any opportunity from February 28 
at night, when this started, to the minute I arrived in CAR. I never had 
any conversation with anyone from CARICOM within that framework of time.

AMY GOODMAN: How many U.S. military were on the plane with you?

PRESIDENT ARISTIDE: I cannot know how many were there but I know it's the 
plane with 55 seats. Among them we had 19 American agents from Steele 
Foundation, which is a U. S. company providing security to the President, 
the First Lady, V. I. P. people, based on an agreement which was signed 
between the government of Haiti and that U. S. company called the Steele 
Foundation. So, they put those 19 American agents in that plane and there 
were five by my side. There were two Haitian ladies, wives of two American 
agents plus a baby 1 year and a half. The rest they were American militaries.

AMY GOODMAN: Were they dressed in military uniform?

PRESIDENT ARISTIDE: They were not only dressed in -- with their uniform, it 
was like if they were going to war for the first period of time -- on the 
ground, when we went to the plane. After the plane took off, that's the way 
they were. Then they changed, moving from the uniform to other kind of 
clothes.

AMY GOODMAN: Civilian clothes?

PRESIDENT ARISTIDE: Yes.

AMY GOODMAN: And did they go with you all the way to the Central African 
Republic?

PRESIDENT ARISTIDE: They did, without telling me where they were taking me, 
without telling me how long it would take us to be there. And the most 
cynical happened with that baby 1 year and a half old, it was when they -- 
when the father wanted to get out with him, this is what I heard, they told 
him no. So, that little baby had to spend all this time sitting in a 
military plane, arriving in CAR, he and his father had to go back with the 
same plane. So, only God knows the kind of suffering he went through.

AMY GOODMAN: Did these people ever get off the plane in the Central African 
Republic with all the military and security --

PRESIDENT ARISTIDE: I cannot tell you because once I got out of the plane, 
I was well received by five members -- five ministers of the government of 
President Joseph Bozize. So, being with them at that time, I don't know how 
they managed after I left.

AMY GOODMAN: Did the Steele Foundation bring in reinforcements when the 
situation got more dangerous?

PRESIDENT ARISTIDE: No, because Saturday night when they came to me. They 
told me A. ) U. S. officials ordered them to leave and to leave 
immediately. B. ) The 25 American agents that were supposed to welcome the 
day after, February 29, to reinforce their team, couldn't leave the U. S. 
to join them in Haiti. So that was a very strong message to them and to us.

AMY GOODMAN: Can you repeat that, what were the regulations?

PRESIDENT ARISTIDE: Please? I dont get the question?

AMY GOODMAN: Could you repeat that, what happened with the Steele 
foundation employees? What you just said about the reinforcements?

PRESIDENT ARISTIDE: I said that Saturday 29--, 28 at night when they came 
to me, they told me that, A. ) they ordered them to leave and immediately. 
B.) the day after, February 29, they were supposed to welcome another team 
of 25 American agents to reinforce them on the ground and U.S. officials 
prevented those 25 to leave the United States to go to Haiti to join them.

AMY GOODMAN: And that's what the Steele Foundation told you?

PRESIDENT ARISTIDE: Exactly.

AMY GOODMAN: Did they say why the U.S. said that?

PRESIDENT ARISTIDE: Well, I didn't go through the details with them. But it 
was obvious in my mind that was part of the global plan. The global plan 
was to kidnap me, coup detat, of course that presented one piece of the 
picture.

I also had a chance to speak with another person who witnessed firsthand 
the events of that night. He is Franz Gabriel, Aristide's personal 
bodyguard and security aide. I spoke with him in a wing of the presidential 
palace near where the Aristides were being held and where they were meeting 
with the delegation that came to escort them back to the Caribbean. Gabriel 
provided further details on the role of the United States in Arisitide's 
removal, in particular the role of the deputy chief of mission at the U.S. 
Embassy in Haiti, Luis Moreno. Peter Eisner of the Washington Post was also 
in the room. During the interview, Gabriels mobile telephone rang many 
times. I began by asking Franz Gabriel to describe his last night in Haiti.

FRANZ GABRIEL: Well I was at the house at 5:00 a.m., when I saw some U.S. 
personnel from the Embassy, of which I recognized Mr. Moreno. They came in 
to tell the president that they were going to organize a press conference 
at the embassy, and told him to be ready to accompany them. The president 
called Mildred, and we bored the vehicles to go to the Embassy, we rode to 
the Embassy. As we were heading towards the Embassy, passing the airport, 
we ended up making a right inside the airport, and that's when I realized 
that we were not going to the Embassy. PETER EISNER: [inaudible] also 
thought he was going to a press conference at the embassy?

FRANZ GABRIEL: Yes. That's what Mr. Moreno had invited him to do. And as we 
were at end of the runway threshold, we saw a plane pull in, and just 
parked there. And then we saw some military personnel.

AMY GOODMAN: What was the press conference supposed to be about?

FRANZ GABRIEL: The press conference was probably going to be about his 
leaving of power.

AMY GOODMAN: Whether he would leave power?

FRANZ GABRIEL: Whether he would leave power, yes.

AMY GOODMAN: So what happened when you saw the plane, what happened next?

FRANZ GABRIEL: Well, I saw deployment of U.S. Marines everywhere. And 
that's when I realized that, you know, it was something serious. I saw a 
white plane with a U.S. flag at the tail of the aircraft, and it looked 
strange because it was no markings on it. And as the plane stopped, they 
had us board -- everybody boarded the plane. And all the Steele Foundation 
agents that were in contract with the government to give the president 
security, boarded the plane also.

AMY GOODMAN: Are you with the Steele Foundation?

FRANZ GABRIEL: No, Im not with Steele, I was with President Aristide. And 
they all boarded the plane. They sat us down and didn't tell us where we 
were going. And then they closed the door. Didn't even want us to pull the 
shades up. We just sat there and waited. They started down and then we just 
-- they close up the gate of the plane, and then we took off.

AMY GOODMAN: Did you know where you were going?

FRANZ GABRIEL: No, we never knew where we were going.

AMY GOODMAN: And how long --

FRANZ GABRIEL: When we landed in Antigua, this is what they told us, we 
landed in Antigua. And in Antigua, we -- they told us that there is a 
possibility that we might be going to South Africa. But the person that was 
relating the information, was relating it to one of the Steele Foundation 
agents. And I overheard it when he said it. As we were sitting down, they 
started take our names down. And they asked the Steele Foundation people 
where, you know, where they were going.

PETER EISNER: Who is "they?"

FRANZ GABRIEL: The guys that were part of the coup on the airplane.

PETER EISNER: They didn't identify themselves?

FRANZ GABRIEL: Well, they boarded the plane dressed as military. As soon as 
they boarded the plane, they changed clothes. They were, you know, they had 
baseball hats and regular civilian clothes. They no longer appeared as 
military.

AMY GOODMAN: And they were who? Who were these people that changed their 
clothes?

FRANZ GABRIEL: Well, they boarded the plane. You know, they were dressed in 
full military gear.

AMY GOODMAN: U.S. Military?

FRANZ GABRIEL: U.S. Military.

AMY GOODMAN: And so you left Antigua, overhearing that you might be going 
to South Africa, but not knowing.

FRANZ GABRIEL: Yes. I left Antigua thinking that we might be going to South 
Africa because thats what they said. As we were on the plane, we landed in 
an island called Asuncion Island, and that's when they told us that South 
Africa would not accept us, and that they didn't know where we were going 
because they didn't have a country that would accept us. So, therefore&

AMY GOODMAN: Had the president applied to these countries?

FRANZ GABRIEL: The president didn't even know where he was going&

You are listening to Franz Gabriel, President Aristide's personal 
bodyguard. Peter Eisner of the Washington Post the only other journalist on 
the plane with the delegation - asked Gabriel whether President Aristide 
agreed to resign the night of his departure from Haiti. He asked about 
reports that Aristide handed a resignation letter to the deputy chief of 
mission at the U.S. Embassy in Haiti, Luis Moreno. Gabriel says he saw no 
such exchange and that it didnt happen in front of him. Aristide has 
maintained that he did write a message in Creole that the US says was his 
letter of resignation but that it was mistranslated in English to make it 
appear as if he resigned.

AMY GOODMAN: The president calls it a kidnapping. Do you agree with him?

FRANZ GABRIEL: I would say so. I would say that it is a kidnapping.

AMY GOODMAN: Do you have -- you talked about the U.S. presence at the 
airport taking him to the airport. What were the other evidences of U.S. 
involvement?

FRANZ GABRIEL: Well, a plane that shows up at quarter to sixin the morning, 
out of nowhere, you know the tower is not even open, there's a big flag in 
the middle of the fence, a big U.S. flag over the fence. A big plane, you 
know, coming in at quarter to six in the morning, shows that you know, 
there's some kind of involvement.

AMY GOODMAN: How many U.S. military left with you on the plane?

FRANZ GABRIEL: 20.

AMY GOODMAN: How many security?

FRANZ GABRIEL: About 18.

AMY GOODMAN: Are they all U.S.?

FRANZ GABRIEL: Yes.

AMY GOODMAN: So, there were 38 with security and military?

FRANZ GABRIEL: Mm-hmm. And there's some Steele guys had their wives with 
them. And a baby that was probably a year old.

AMY GOODMAN: So they figured this out very fast, to get to the airplane and 
get their families to the airport. How did they get their families to the 
airport?

FRANZ GABRIEL: Well, it happened very fast because somehow -- between the 
U.S. Embassy, and some of the Steel guys, there was some communication.

AMY GOODMAN: So they knew before the President, that the President was 
being taken to the airport?

FRANZ GABRIEL: Yes. That is the only thing I can&

AMY GOODMAN: And what happened to everyone? Did they all come here?

FRANZ GABRIEL: They all came here and left.

Aristides bodyguard Franz Gabriel speaking in the presidential palace in 
Bangui. On the flight back from the CAR, President Aristide spoke about 
what he says was a US-orchestrated coup and kidnapping, I asked Aristide 
why he believes the US wanted him gone.

PRESIDENT ARISTIDE: If you ask the US the question, they would answer you. 
I can have opinions, but I will not answer for them. For instance, we are 
the first black independent country in the world. We just celebrated 200 
years of independence last January 1st. Despite of that, we still have 1.5 
doctors for each 11,000 Haitians. And, of course, I understood we had to 
invest in education. We had to invest in health care. Despite of an 
economic embargo they imposed upon us, I did my best, and we founded a 
university, whose faculty of medicine already had 247 medical students. 
Once the marines arrived in Haiti, they put those 247 medical students out, 
they seized the classroom, the campus; and thats where you find soldiers, 
where you should have medical students. So, its to say, if I look at the 
picture, which is horrible, I can think once you want to invest in 
education, in health care, those who want to invest in killing democracy, 
in bloodshed, they don't accept you as an elected president. We had 32 coup 
d'etats, plus the last one, 33, in our 200 years of independence. Our goal 
was to move not from coup d'etat to coup d'etat anymore, but from elections 
to elections. Free, fair and democratic elections. That wasnt their goal. 
They went back to coup d'etat.


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