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Diplomacy Death Squad: How Bolton Armed Haiti's thugs and killers, by Ira Kurzban, May 8, 2005

Congresswoman Waters Urges Democratic Senators to Investigate John Bolton's Role in Improper Arms Shipment to Haiti, April 29, 2005

Letter to Editor - John Bolton and Haiti | Steve White, May 15, 2005

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Diplomacy Death Squad,
How Bolton Armed Haiti's Thugs and Killers
May 8, 2005
by Ira Kurzban

www.Counterpunch.org 3 May 2005
www.globalresearch.ca 8 May 2005

The URL of this article is: http://globalresearch.ca/articles/KUR505A.html

On Dec. 14, 2004, in the predawn hours, a large convoy of U.N. troops entered the Port-au-Prince slum of Cite Soleil. They began firing. Esterlin Marie Carmelle was in bed with her 2-year-old son, Herlens. Her husband got out of bed to get ready for work. The shooting intensified, and she remained in bed beside her child. According to a Harvard Law School report the following occurred:

"Ms. Carmelle recalled, she `felt something warm' on her arm and said to her husband, 'I feel like I got hit with a bullet.' She told us that she realized that 'it wasn't me who had been shot,' as her boy lay limp and lifeless beside her, his 'blood and brain matter were sliding down my arm.' Though Ms. Carmelle said that she then passed out, her husband told us that a stray bullet had entered their shack with such force that it had removed part of their child's head, leaving Herlens to die in his mother's arms.''

When U.N. troops are not engaged in these kinds of incursions, they can usually be found providing support for the Haitian National Police as they execute peaceful demonstrators demanding the return of their democratically elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

Just last week, five Haitians were killed by the Haitian National Police while U.N. troops stood by watching. The Haitians' crime was that they were peacefully demonstrating for the release of political prisoners in Haiti.

On Feb. 28, 2005, demonstrators met the same fate and were executed by the Haitian National Police while peacefully protesting. Amnesty International has also reported ''incidents in which individuals dressed in black . . . and traveling in cars with Haitian National Police markings have cost the lives of at least 11 people.''.''
Just this week, Amnesty condemned the Haitian police for their ''use of lethal and indiscriminate violence'' to "disperse and repress demonstrators.''

The Bush administration's response has been to place more weapons in the hands of these police. During Haiti's democratic administrations, the U.S. government imposed a full-scale arms embargo on nonlethal as well as lethal weapons to the Haitian Police. They could not even buy bullet-proof vests or tear gas to disperse crowds.

In November 2004, however, John Bolton, as under secretary for arms control in the Department of State, signed off on providing the current police, under a nondemocratic government, more than 3,635 M14 rifles, 1,100 Mini Galils, several thousand assorted 0.38-caliber pistols, 3,700 MP5s and approximately one million rounds of ammunition, according to the Small Arms Survey, an authoritative resource published by the Graduate Institute of International Studies, located in Geneva.

It is no surprise that Bolton is at the center of this controversy as well. He has been one of the hard-liners in the State Department who sought the overthrow of Aristide and who bullied intelligence analysts on Haiti who were trying to provide a more-balanced picture. Even his cohort in overthrowing Aristide, Otto Reich, was quoted as stating that they both rightfully went after an intelligence analyst who gave the ''benefit of the doubt'' to Aristide as the democratically elected president.

Perhaps Bolton can explain to members of the Senate when they reconvene why he would place more weapons in the hands of thugs and murderers whose police work is composed largely of executing peaceful demonstrators who are demanding the return of democracy to Haiti.

Ira Kurzban is the former attorney for the government of Haiti. torney for the government of Haiti.
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PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release (323) 757-8900
April 29, 2005


CONGRESSWOMAN WATERS URGES DEMOCRATIC SENATORS
TO INVESTIGATE JOHN BOLTON’S ROLE IN
IMPROPER ARMS SHIPMENTS TO HAITI


Washington, D.C. -- Today, Rep. Maxine Waters (CA-35) wrote to each of the Democratic Senators on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations considering John Bolton’s nomination to be Ambassador to the United Nations. Her letter urges the Senators to investigate reports that the State Department shipped weapons to Haiti last August, in violation of a 13-year-old arms embargo on Haiti and despite evidence of serious human rights abuses by the interim government of Haiti. The text of the Congresswoman’s letter follows:

I thank you for your leadership on John Bolton’s confirmation hearings. You indeed have exposed information about John Bolton’s qualifications and actions that the Senate should take very seriously before deciding whether to confirm John Bolton’s nomination for United States Ambassador to the United Nations. I am writing to share with you additional information that you may find useful in determining whether John Bolton makes unilateral decisions and creates his own policies on important issues such as arms exports and foreign military assistance.

Last August, the State Department reportedly transported 2,657 weapons to Haiti to train and equip the Haitian National Police, in violation of a 13-year-old arms embargo on Haiti. These weapons included several M-14 rifles and sub-machine guns, as well as over 2000 revolvers and hundreds of pistols. The weapons shipment is described in the enclosed “Department of State Press Guidance on US Weapons Donated to the Government of Haiti.” The decision to allow these weapons to be shipped to Haiti was made while John Bolton was serving in his current post as Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs. The State Department reportedly is considering the approval of a proposed commercial sale of an additional $1.7 million in weapons to Haiti, which would also violate the arms embargo. This proposal is described in the enclosed “Department of State Transmittal No. DDTC 010-05 Certification of Proposed Issuance of an Export License.”

The arms embargo on Haiti was enforced throughout the administration of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the democratically-elected President of Haiti. Because of the arms embargo, the democratically-elected government of Haiti could not purchase weapons from the United States to train and equip the Haitian police to carry out their law enforcement responsibilities. One can only wonder why the democratically-elected President of Haiti was denied the ability to purchase weapons for Haiti’s security, but the unelected interim government of Haiti has been able to acquire weapons from the State Department for free.

As you know, President Aristide was overthrown in a coup d’etat on February 29 of last year. Since the coup d’etat, violence and insecurity have escalated throughout Haiti. Former soldiers from the brutal Haitian army, which was disbanded ten years ago, now roam Haiti freely. The interim government of Haiti has been unable or unwilling to enforce the rule of law or disarm the former soldiers. Furthermore, according to human rights organizations, the interim government is carrying out summary executions, which contribute to the violence. Under these circumstances, it is highly likely that the weapons shipped to Haiti by the United States last August were used in the commission of human rights abuses.

It has been alleged that the violence and repression in Haiti are being orchestrated by the interim government of Haiti to ensure that Lavalas, President Aristide’s political party, will not be able to campaign effectively should there be elections in Haiti later this year. I am deeply concerned that shipments of additional weapons to Haiti, including the proposed commercial sale of weapons under consideration at the State Department, will be used to carry out additional human rights abuses and acts of violence.

I am hopeful that you and your colleagues on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations will investigate the reported arms shipments to Haiti and determine why John Bolton allowed the State Department to ship weapons to the illegitimate interim government of Haiti in violation of the arms embargo and despite evidence of serious human rights abuses.

I would appreciate it if you keep me informed of the results of any investigation regarding the reported arms shipments and the role John Bolton played in their approval and facilitation. Please call me if you have any questions or if you would like to discuss this or any other issue involved in U.S. policy toward Haiti.

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Letter to Editor

"Steven White" <polanve@optonline.net>
Subject: John Bolton and Haiti (for community view)
To: "Arthur Gunther" <AGUNTHER@thejournalnews.gannett.com>
May 15, 2005

To the editor,

Please accept this submission for the “community view” section. I am a long-time Rockland resident with deep ties to the Haitian community and publish a quarterly newsletter, “Rezistans”, on the Haitian resistance movement.


John Bolton’s nomination as ambassador to the UN has been at the center of controversy in Washington this week, but Rocklanders of Haitian descent may not be aware of his recent controversial role in US-Haitian relations.

In November 2004, Bolton, as under secretary for arms control in the Department of State, signed off on providing arms to the Haitian police, who have been condemned by Amnesty International for their ''use of lethal and indiscriminate violence'' to "disperse and repress demonstrators.'' The weapons were paid for by US tax dollars, some of which come from Haitian residents of Rockland whose family members in Haiti are now being threatened by them.

According to the Small Arms Survey, an authoritative resource published by the Graduate Institute of International Studies, located in Geneva, more than 3,635 M14 rifles, 1,100 Mini Galils, several thousand assorted 0.38-caliber pistols, 3,700 MP5s and approximately one million rounds of ammunition were given to the current undemocratic, human rights abusing regime. During Haiti's democratic administrations, the U.S. government had imposed a full-scale arms embargo on the Haitian Police. They could not even buy bullet-proof vests or tear gas to disperse crowds.

Bolton has been one of the hard-liners in the State Department who sought the overthrow of Aristide and who bullied intelligence analysts on Haiti who were trying to provide a more-balanced picture.

Perhaps Bolton can explain to members of the Senate when they reconvene why he placed more weapons in the hands of thugs and murderers, whose police work is composed largely of executing peaceful demonstrators who are demanding the return of democracy to Haiti.

Steven White
polanve@optonline.net