Aristide vows to serve out term; Powell warns rebels

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- With one city under rebel control and his nation engulfed in violence, embattled Haitian President Jean- Bertrand Aristide vowed Friday to serve out his term and said his early departure would only bring increased bloodshed to this impoverished Caribbean nation.

Dismissing critics who say he has become a repressive and authoritarian leader, Aristide fired back in a 50-minute interview with the Tribune by calling his opponents "terrorists" and by pledging to protect Haiti's fragile democracy against those seeking to oust him.

"I was fighting the dictatorship of Duvalier," said Aristide, referring to former President Jean-Claude Duvalier, who ruled Haiti from 1971 to 1986. "I couldn't tolerate a system rooted in dictatorship to be mine."

Aristide's comments came as U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell warned the opposition not to try to oust the president and said several nations were discussing the possibility of sending reinforcements for Haiti's police.

Looking relaxed but firm in his office inside Haiti's colonial- era presidential palace, the 50-year-old Aristide denied allegations that he had armed and unleashed gangs such as those that violently broke up Thursday's opposition rally in the capital and torched buildings and killed opponents in other cities.

He said Haitians falsely claiming to be his supporters were battling anti-government militants and urged opposition leaders to begin negotiations to quell the growing crisis in this nation of 8 million people.

"Moving from violence to violence is what we've had for the past 200 years -- 32 coups d'etats," Aristide said. "Today we couldn't accept another coup d'etat."

In Washington, Powell told reporters there was no plan at this point for military intervention to quell the revolt, which erupted last week after months of protests against Aristide's presidency. But he said the U.S., Canada and Caribbean nations were discussing whether foreigners could be sent to help Haiti's 3,500-member police force.

Powell also expanded on his earlier comments warning the rebels against ousting Aristide, who was restored to power by a U.S. invasion a decade ago.

"We will accept no outcome that is not consistent with the constitution," Powell said after meeting with representatives of other Western Hemisphere countries at the State Department. "We will accept no outcome that in any way illegally attempts to remove the elected president of Haiti."

He called on Aristide to "reach out to the opposition, to make sure that thugs are not allowed to break up peaceful demonstrations." Yet one key opposition leader said Powell's warning "won't change our strategy at all."

"It's legitimate to revolt against this government that is oppressing us in a systematic way," said the opposition leader, who asked not to be identified.

Several times during the interview, Aristide drew parallels between the wave of political violence gripping Haiti and the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. He said the international community needed to know that the armed anti- government militants are nothing more than "thugs" and drug traffickers.

"This is terrorism, period," he said.

Opposition leaders have criticized the violence associated with the uprising but said Haitians were carrying out a "legitimate insurrection" against an authoritarian government. They also accuse Aristide of arming the gangs who have turned against him.

As the hemisphere's poorest nation with a history of dictatorship and violence, Haiti was set to take a new course when Aristide -- a former Roman Catholic priest who preached in Haiti's slums -- became the island nation's first democratically elected president in 1990.

Backed by many sectors, the diminutive and soft-spoken Aristide was especially revered by the nation's impoverished masses. They saw him as their best hope for escaping the often-shocking squalor that permeates this island nation.

But Aristide was ousted seven months later in a military coup. He fled to the United States and was returned to office in 1994 after 20,000 U.S. troops invaded the island.

Aristide disbanded the Haitian army after returning to power and installed a new, U.S.-trained police force. He won re-election in 2000, but flawed legislative elections that year and other issues placed the president at loggerheads with his political opponents and the international community.

Aristide's non-violent opponents include a broad coalition of students, business leaders and others who have refused to negotiate with the president, calling him a power-hungry dictator who has lost touch with his humble roots. They have called for his immediate resignation and new elections.

But experts say they lack the power to pressure Aristide into major political concessions without aligning themselves with the armed gangs who have spearheaded bloody rebellions in a dozen towns and cities.

One of those uprisings took place in Gonaives, a key port city where an estimated 28 people were killed, including many police officers. More than half of Gonaives' estimated 250,000 residents have fled as gunmen toting vintage M-1 and M-14 rifles patrol the city streets, now strewn with car chassis, burning tires and other refuse to block a possible police assault.

Aristide said he is implementing a plan for regaining the city, located along Haiti's main north-south highway. Its seizure has allowed the rebels to prevent fuel and food from reaching many parts of the nation.

He said Haitian police had infiltrated Gonaives but refused to provide details of the operation because of security concerns. "We have people on the ground," he said.

Aristide said he is committed to implementing a proposal by Caribbean nations to defuse the crisis by disarming gangs linked to political parties, choosing a new prime minister and forming a broad- based advisory council to help run the country.

But Powell said Friday that the U.S. wants Aristide to act rather than just provide "expressions and words of support."

Looking toward a possible flash point this weekend, Aristide guaranteed the safety of opposition protesters attending a scheduled rally Sunday as long as their leaders consult first with police. One opposition leader said police had been officially notified of the event.

And, despite the ongoing rebellion, Aristide -- who escaped an assassination attempt in 1987 -- said he does not fear for his life. In the end, Aristide said he was willing to reach out to the opposition if they renounce violence but would never give in to armed rebels.

"In any democratic society we need an opposition, and I respect the opposition," he said. "But we don't need terrorists under the cover of political opponents."

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