Noriega's attack on Aristide causes .. Haitians to demand his resignation

[struggle4progress]

Noriega's attack on Aristide causes pro-democracy Haitians
to demand his resignation

by Marguerite Laurent, Esq.

Roger Noreiga's comments in the recent Pablo Bachelet article published in the Miami Herald maligns the people of Haiti peacefully advocating for President Aristide's return; is arbitrary and capricious and based on no evidence offered, and, is an example of Mr. Noreiga's continued systemic character assassination of, not only the poor in Haiti, but of officials from their Constitutionally elected government. We Haitian pro-democracy, peace and justice advocates demand an apology and request that the Bush Administration not only censure Mr. Noreiga for his unfounded statements but demand his immediate resignation. <snip>

Mr. Noreiga, who, as a former Jesse Helms protégé, is known for his pathological hatred of President Aristide, not only accused the President of involvement in directing violence in Haiti, but implicated the entire Lavalas party as directly responsible for the insecurity and lawlessness. Noreiga told the Herald that: "Aristide and his camp are singularly responsible for most of the violence and for the concerted nature of the violence." Yet many human rights investigators have uniformly illustrated the current repression in Haiti was brought to Haiti because of Bush regime change, the Coup D'etat masterminded by Mr. Noreiga and the U.S. arms, funding and remobilizing of the bloody Haitian military to re-image them as the current "policeforce."

Mr. Noreiga conveniently failed to mention the role of the U.S.-backed Haitian "police" in shooting unarmed demonstrators (on February 28, 2005 and April 27, 2005 to name a few dates). He failed to mention anything about the thousands of civilian killed - from babies, grandmothers, mothers to handicapped, by said "policeforce" and MINUSTHA troops in their sweeps in Bel Air and Cite Soleil, nor did he remember the murder of up to 107 unarmed detainees at the Haitian National Penitentiary on December 1, 2005 while Colin Powell was visiting Haiti. Noreiga simply typically, irrationally and with scant qualification lays total blame for the insecurity and lawlessness in Haiti at the door of exiled President Aristide, the Lavalas party and "pro-Aristide" gangs. <snip>

Mr. Noreiga has proven over and over again that he has no competency to fairly represent the democratic and just interests of the people of the United States, nor the peaceful interests of all peoples in the Western Hemisphere. Roger Noreiga must be removed from his position immediately. (See, also letter below from Father Gerald Jean-Juste, " KEEP THE AMERICAS TOGETHER. NORIEGA SHOULD GO!")

http://www.haitiaction.net/News/HLL/6_24_5.html