Tighten the Noose on Haiti's Leaders

The irony was strong Friday on the streets of Haiti. Government thugs attacked a peaceful democracy demonstration, killing at least five civilians. Just a few short weeks ago, the President of the United States had gone on national television and condemned such violence in the strongest terms. "Your time is up," said a resolute Clinton. Now agents of the president, U.S. soldiers, stood by as demonstrators are mauled. How did this come to pass?

In short, the answer is the president's willingness to listen to Jimmy Carter. The ex-president's dramatic diplomacy avoided an invasion and allowed the peaceful deployment of American troops. But there were conditions, the primary one being that the junta would remain in power, and the Haitian police in control, until October 15, the date set for President Aristide's return. Thus the strange and uncomfortable partnership between U.S. and Haitian forces.

The cooperation was strained by the first incident of violence against pro-Aristide demonstrators soon after the arrival of troops. The graphic sights of Haitian civilians being beaten to death under the eyes of well-armed G.I.'s forced the Clinton administration to speed up its disarmament of the Haitian armed forces. American troops were also given a broader mandate to deter excesses by pro-junta forces.

But the fundamental contradiction remains, as was vividly shown on Friday. The U.S. is still coexisting with a regime that it has labeled outrageous, illegal and inhuman.

If the Haitian police and army have been formally defanged, the more shadowy tentacles of the junta remain, the notorious "attaches." They will not retreat until the military government no longer has power. And disarming them will be a difficult task; their weapons are not held in armories but in private homes around the country.

Turning up the heat on them is probably a worthwhile endeavour, but the ultimate solution is what it has always been: throw the government out. The U.S. should tighten the noose that has been put so gently around Cedras' neck. On October 15, Cedras and his cronies should be placed on the first plane out. Their continued presence in the country will ensure that the sporadic violence and instability evident in the past weeks will continue.

When "the dictators"-as President Clinton is wont to call them-get the message that their ticket has been punched, they won't have without a fight. Not a fight in the traditional sense, but other more violence aimed at leaving a few American soldiers deal and turning American public opinion against the Haitian adventure. This is a storm that the administration must weather. The good of the Haitian people and the credibility of American foreign police are intertwined. To back down would do serious damage to both.

If the U.S. does succeed in completing the transition and forcing the Junta's departure, the bulk of the forces should leave and the United Nations transitional team should fill the gap. At that point, the U.S. will have done what it can-it will have given Haiti another chance at democracy. And just a chance. The job of marking it work will and must remain with the people and leaders of Haiti.