Hti: Jamaica joins with Venezuela in rejecting Latortue

Jamaica and Venezuela say Jean-Bertrand Aristide is the rightful leader of Haiti and refuse to recognize the new Haitian government, the BBC reported.

The announcements came after Haitian Prime Minister Gerard Latortue introduced a new 13-member cabinet, excluding all members of Aristide's former ruling Lavalas party.

"We don't recognize Haiti's new government," said Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. "The president of Haiti is named Jean-Bertrand Aristide and he was elected by his people."

Chavez then said Venezuela was prepared to offer Aristide asylum. He is now in Jamaica visiting his daughters after seeking exile in the Central African Republic last month.

Jamaica also said it would not recognize Latortue's authority, at least until after a regional summit of the Caribbean Community scheduled for next week.

The sheer folly of this act by Jamaica, in particular, is incredible because Patterson's decision is bad politically and economically.

In the first case, Patterson's decision to invite Aristide to Jamaica and to not recognize the Latortue government contribute to instability in Haiti. If Aristide's supporters take strength from Jamaica's position and Aristide's proximity, and they are, every attempt will be made to foster a civil war that will result in the deaths and flight of many Haitians. Instead of stability and movement towards the development of infrastructure and a civil society in Haiti, there will be further erosion of what little infrastructure that remains. How does this help Haiti? It doesn't, but Jamaica apparently does not care.

Furthermore, an additionally destabilized Haiti is one from which refugees will take flight. The U.S. will not permit an influx of Haitian refugees, and GWB has already stated this unequivocally. The most likely beneficiaries of this influx of refugees will be Bermuda and Jamaica. Already experiencing budgetary problems, Jamaica can ill afford to bear the costs of new refugees. The chances are non-existent that Jamaica will be able to secure U.S. aid to help with the problem. Neither can Jamaica look to Caricom, Venezuela, or South America for that aid for each of these have their own fiscal problems. Caricom needs Haiti to be a productive and contributing regional partner. The Haitian people are resourceful and hardworking enough that, with the proper infrastructure, Haiti can be that partner.

Additionally, Jamaica is alienating a key ally, the U.S., and allying itself with the socialist and terrorist supporting Chavez in Venezuela. Caricom does not have to like Republican politics (which are better for American and world economy), but that is not an excuse for doing that which would facilitate Chavez's aims to destabilize this entire region (allowing Aristide to return to the Caribbean). Furthermore, nobody says that Caricom has to jump to do the U.S. bidding. In fact, it is a good thing if Caricom can show that it is a reliable but, at times, independent partner to the U.S. on regional issues. However, the Aristide affair is not one of those times. It is not a demonstration of Caricom's independence, but of its pique that rapidly moving circumstances precluded the U.S. from advising Caricom that Aristide had resigned. It is quite possible that both the U.S. and Aristide failed to inform Caricom because both parties knew that Caricom would have pushed for more dialogue at a time when talk would only permit slaughter and instability to continue. A State Dept spokesman, appearing on a news conference shown on Fox News, stated that Aristide had called and said he was ready to go. The official informed that when the soldiers arrived at Aristide's house, he and his wife were already packed, and the letter of resignation was in his suitcase! The prospect of a bullet to the brain is marvelously persuasive.

Now that Chavez has offered Aristide asylum, an offer that he will most likely take, Jamaica's folly in permitting Aristide to come, ostensibly to be reunited with his daughters (are there no flights to South Africa?), will have ramifications for the entire Caribbean. Lest we forget, South America, increasingly becoming socialist, is home to the Muslim Triangle (the nexus of Uruguay, Argentina, and Brazil) and to the drug running cartels of Colombia. This combination of terrorism and drugs, in alliance with Chavez, Castro, and Aristide (who allegedly already has drug ties, and who will surely accept Chavez's offer and use Venezuela as a base to foment war in Haiti) will pose a danger not just to the U.S., but to every Caribbean country. In the Spanish election of last Sunday, terrorists demonstrated their ability to topple a U.S.-friendly government and elect a socialist one which is soft on terror. Similarly, the equally soft on terror socialists in South America have demonstrated their unwillingness to prevent terrorists from entering their countries and congregating in the Muslim Triangle. Chavez is reputed to already have Islamic terrorists in Venezuela and to be using these to stifle dissent.

It is quite likely from these circumstances, therefore, that Chavez would use Aristide, supported by terrorists from the Muslim Triangle, as a spear-head, first against the U.S. Marines who are seeking to bring order in Haiti; second, against other Caribbean countries and Guyana; and, third, against the U.S. itself. For, as T&T and Guyana well know, Venezuela has long had territorial aspirations concerning these two countries. Which Caribbean country, already infiltrated with drug courriers and drugs from South America, has the resources to prevent terrorists from coming in and launching attacks against their populace? None. Why would terrorists want to do that anyway? They would, as part of the global jihad to bring the entire world under the oppressive flag of Islam.

Thus, by giving Aristide a temporary home in the hemisphere, instead of letting him go directly to South Africa (in spite of his assertion that South Africa is a stopping off point to Haiti) Jamaica will be seen as having provided the means to destabilize the entire western hemisphere. South Africa could not provide Aristide with the arms and men (terrorists) with which he can reclaim his position in Haiti. Venezuela can.

Hopefully, Patterson will wise up in short order and realize that a thumb in the eye is not the way to conduct regional affairs.