South Africa helping Aristide prepare Haiti return

[struggle4progress]

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: February 17, 2011 11:21 a.m.
Last modified: February 17, 2011 11:44 a.m.

PRETORIA, South Africa - South Africa is helping ousted Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide prepare to return home after nearly seven years in exile, the foreign minister said Thursday.

Maite Nkoana-Mashabane did not specify when Aristide might leave South Africa, and did not say what has held up his return since the Haitian government granted his request for a new passport earlier this month.

"We are consulting with all interested parties to facilitate his return back home at the appropriate time," she said, adding Aristide had asked to go home ...

http://www.metronews.ca/calgary/world/article/776427--s-africa-helping-aristide-prepare-haiti-return

[Judi Lynn]

1. Hope he'll be safe. Thanks for the latest. Rec. n/t

[Peace Patriot]

2. My wishes for Haiti: That Aristide returns and that the millions of Haitians who want his return

are able to greet him at the (U.S. military-controlled) airport.

That the U.S. turns the election mess they've made over to the real election monitors of the OAS and a new election is held, as CEPR has recommended. (U.S., French and Canadian election monitors should be banned from this team, for the fraudulent recount that they did. What a bloody disgrace!)

That, this time, the majority party in Haiti, Lavalas, is on the ballot (banned by the U.S. before) and that everyone votes (75% of Haitians didn't vote before--because no one who was permitted to run represents more than 10% to 15% of Haitians).

That Aristide is elected president, again, if he runs, or that some new leader arises who has his stature, and his commitment to independence and social justice. (Aristide is the duly elected president of Haiti, brutally ousted by the Bush Junta in 2004, over social justice issues, and forced to sign a resignation letter under a threat of death delivered by the U.S. embassy chief of staff. That was NOT a valid resignation, and nothing that has occurred since then has been valid, as the U.S. has installed a series of puppet regimes with little or no popular support. Aristide may not want to assert his legal right to the office of president, but, in my opinion, he could. There is no other legal president. He may not even want to be president any more, but if he does, he will be overwhelmingly elected in a honest election--something Haiti hasn't had since he was ousted amidst horrible violence by U.S.-armed gangs.)

That the U.S. turn over the $9 billion in earthquake aid, that it has been using as a weapon to extract obedience from Haiti's puppet leaders, to the new government.

That the new government hands out contracts for reconstructing Haiti first of all to Haitian firms, and, if they need technical assistance, equipment, advice, machinery, engineers and so on, that they are partnered with foreign firms in an honest bidding process, with points given to maximum employment of Haitians at decent salaries, and to training of Haitians with the goal of setting up Haitian firms as viable businesses.

That Latin American experts be called in to assist Haitians with re-designing their capitol, and that this bidding process also stresses Haitian training and employment.

That at least a billion dollars be immediately devoted to education--both construction of schools and teacher's salaries and other immediate necessities for maximizing educational opportunities, fully equipping classrooms (including computers for every child), and providing food, school uniforms, shoes and other necessities to all children, through high school, and that new institutions of higher learning be founded to immediately begin training Haitians in critical needs areas such as medicine, sanitation, engineering, public administration and business.

That a primary goal of another billion dollars is permanent housing for the million people who are still living under tarps and suffering cholera outbreaks and many other hardships. New communities need to be designed and built--another opportunity to involve, train and employ Haitians. And these communities need to have community GARDENS, where food is grown, alternative energy systems and other examples of the highest calibre planning for the future.

That Haiti joins ALBA, the Venezuela-Cuba organized barter trade group for the Caribbean-Central American region, and eventually joins UNASUR when that institution is ready to expand north. Haiti needs positive alliances with like-minded social justice governments.

That "Baby Doc" be sent back into exile in France. (U.S. and French treachery in letting this monster back into Haiti, prior to Aristide's return, ought to be answered with "Baby Doc"'s permanent exile. Confiscate his stolen wealth, if possible--and let France pay for his luxury lifestyle; or forget it, if not possible, and just get rid of him. The U.S. and France brought him back only to cause trouble and to make Aristide's return as difficult as possible.)

That the U.S. get the fuck out of Haiti and never set foot in that country again, except on its own embassy soil. And that the U.S. military do likewise. NO U.S. military base in Haiti!