Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, October 18, 1993 TAG: 9310180129
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By From Knight-Ridder Newspapers, The Associated Press and the Los
DATELINE: PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI LENGTH: Medium
The country's military rulers continued to defy U.N. demands that they resign, all but ensuring the imposition of a U.N. naval quarantine ordered by the Security Council.
U.S. and Canadian warships appeared within sight of the capital's harbor in a pointed show of force in advance of the embargo at midnight today - to some Haitians an omen that a foreign invasion was imminent, to others a harbinger that democracy might soon be restored.
Although officials insisted privately that the Clinton administration still is a long way from any decision on whether to use military force if the embargo proves ineffective, Madeleine Albright, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said on NBC's "Meet the Press" that "we have not ruled out anything."
Thousands left Port-au-Prince in a massive exodus on buses and trucks. Gunmen killed one woman as she was leaving her home with a suitcase. Military-backed gangs beat people waiting at a bus stop, according to residents. When buses passed by, people frantically ran after them.
The collapsing U.N.-brokered peace accords, which aim to return exiled President Jean-Bertrand Aristide on Oct. 30, and a three-day period of mourning beginning today for assassinated Justice Minister Guy Malary have put people on edge. Many fear a surge of violence.
Lt. Gen. Raoul Cedras, the army commander, proposed in a CNN interview Sunday that the Vatican mediate the crisis. The Vatican has strained relations with Aristide, a Roman Catholic priest whose liberation-theology thinking has antagonized church powers.
Cedras also repeated his call for a national conference of all Haitian sectors to resolve the crisis.
In Washington, Aristide spokeswoman Gwen McKinney said it was "totally unacceptable and outrageous for Gen. Cedras to propose a new negotiator."
As the tensions grew, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole said Sunday he will offer legislation restricting Clinton's authority to send troops to Haiti.
Dole, speaking on CBS' "Face the Nation," said he will offer an amendment early this week requiring congressional authorization for sending American troops to Haiti unless the president certifies certain conditions, such as a threat to national security, exist.
"I wouldn't risk any American lives to put Aristide back in power and try to force democracy on Haiti," Dole said.
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by CNB