Language

Ex-Minister Arrested as Powel hypes up a warrant

Reuters is reporting on Aristide's Interior Minister, Jocelerme Privert being arrested by the coup government on charges of being behind an alleged massacre against Aristide opponents during the siege by the paramilitaries.  
But... "Gousse told Reuters in an interview last week it will be months before Haiti's crippled police and judiciary, ravaged by the bloody rebellion in which more than 200 people were killed, are rebuilt and ready to bring accused rebels to justice."  
Right.  Can't arrest ANY of the rebels, including those that should still be serving their prison sentences for murders they've already been convicted for.  But rounding up Aristide's ministers is no problem.  
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worl
dNews&storyID=4763172

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Colin Powell gave a press conference in Haiti with coup leader Gérard Latortue.  Powell claimed that, "There are inquiries being made by our judicial authorities in the U.S. to see if there is any evidence of wrongdoing on [Aristide's] part."  
But of course.  Elections were also promised for 2005.  Lacking any legal excuse to bar Aristide from the country, they'll want to charge him with any crime they can imagine to prevent Aristide from running in - and winning - the elections.  Apparently in Powell's twisted mind there is no reason to investigate the circumstances regarding Aristide's departure, but any kind of fishing expedition that might keep him from coming back is fine and dandy.  
"I don't think any purpose would be served by such an inquiry," he said. "We were on the verge of a blood bath and President Aristide found himself in great danger."  -- Colin Powell
I took the Powell quotes from this piece on the NYT.  http://nytimes.com/2004/04/06/international/americ
as/06HAIT.html
 Christopher Marquis is the author and the article is flying around a dozen or two major newspaper sites today.  I just want to point out a single phrase that's so typical of the squalid approach of NYT and AP to covering international relations.  
"Mr. Powell, who came for a one-day visit to show the administration's continuing commitment to Haiti's recovery...."
Notice how the phrase expresses the reason for Powell's visit in pretty much exactly the same words a public relations expert for the State Department or the White House would choose.  Powell didn't go to Haiti to try to minimize the political fallout from Bush's regime change policy on Haiti.  He didn't go there to put on a good public relations face to counter all the anger about the U.S. removing a democratically elected black president.  No.  He went there to show "the administration's continuing support for Haiti's recovery."  
Marquis isn't so much a journalist as he is a P.R. hack for Washington.

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