Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, September 22, 1994 TAG: 9409240040
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
As Americans recoiled at pictures of beatings by Haitian police, Clinton said, ``Such conduct cannot and will not be tolerated.'' American forces continued to pour into Haiti and were expected to total 8,500 troops by day's end.
By late afternoon, American troops arrived at the Haitian army's only munitions depot to dismantle heavy artillery, equipment and weapons. The Heavy Weapons Company of about 200 soldiers was disbanded. It is considered the only relatively trained and equipped unit of the 7,000-man Haitian army and held a fearsome, almost mystical quality for the rest of the troops and the population at large.
``I can sleep now,'' said a Haitian driver. ``They won't be able to come into my home with their Uzis and rob us.''
Haitian police sheathed the clubs they had used Tuesday in full view of American troops, but they still shoved and threatened people and in one case hurtled through a crowd in a van to break up a demonstration.
A 9-year-old boy was shot by military-backed gunmen, according to his mother and other witnesses, although there were conflicting reports as to whether he had been killed or only wounded.
Deposed President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, after two days of stony silence, thanked Clinton for the steps to restore him to power by Oct. 15. In a ceremony on the steps of the Pentagon, Aristide closed ranks with the United States on the agreement negotiated with Lt. Gen. Raoul Cedras, Haiti's military ruler. ``Nothing must block this light of peace - neither violence nor vengeance, guns nor provocation, impunity nor retaliation,'' Aristide said. ``Peace must flourish in Haiti.''
The statement muted his objections to letting Cedras remain in power through mid-October and remain in Haiti afterward.
Amid harsh criticism, the administration scrambled to make sure there would not be a recurrence of Tuesday's violence, in which U.S. troops stood by as police clubbed civilians.
``The situation in Haiti will not change immediately, but today is better than yesterday and yesterday was better than the day before,'' Clinton said. ``We will keep going. We will make steady progress. We will restore democracy.''
Clinton said that, as Oct. 15 approaches, ``we will also work to moderate the conduct of Haitian security forces without assuming their responsibilities.''
On the Senate floor, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., accused Clinton of being too soft on Haiti's generals. ``The American people's patience is not that great,'' McCain said. ``What it argues for is an early withdrawal of United States troops from Haiti.''
By a 94-5 vote, the Senate approved a resolution supporting a ``prompt and orderly withdrawal'' of U.S. troops and the lifting of American and United Nations economic sanctions on Haiti.
A senior officer at the Pentagon said the rules of engagement for the conduct of U.S. troops have not changed, but will be interpreted to allow more aggressive action to quell street violence.
The Pentagon intends to put military police at every level of the Haitian police bureaucracy, as well as out on the streets, in order to instill additional discipline, a senior U.S. military officer said.
He insisted U.S. soldiers will not become Haiti's police force but acknowledged that they ``will be doing police work, in that we will be working with the Port-au-Prince police on joint patrols.''
Some information in this report came from the Los Angeles Times.
by CNB