Haiti-Hoping US Troops Come
7-17-1994
^Haitians, Civilians and Military Alike, Wait For Washington's Next Move
^By ANDREW SELSKY
^Associated Press Writer
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) _ Her tired face smeared with black streaks, Mireille Joseph stopped sorting the charcoal she sells to support herself and her four children and considered on Sunday what a U.S. invasion might bring.
Ms. Joseph, one of dozens of charcoal sellers lining a narrow market street in this capital city, hopes like many Haitians that U.S. troops will kick out Haiti's army rulers and restore the president ousted in a 1991 coup.
Jean-Bertrand Aristide, Haiti's first freely elected president, took office promising to improve the lives of the poor, who were ignored for decades by a succession of repressive, elitist governments.
"This is a difficult life, a hard life," Ms. Joseph said as she squatted behind her pieces of charcoal, which she had piled into three tidy stacks. Charcoal is a main source of cooking fuel in Haiti.
"If the invasion brings good things, I'll want it to happen," she said. "I want it to improve my life. Look at me. I'm here doing nothing."
Clouds of black dust drifted by as other charcoal sellers dumped their bags onto the ground and swept them into little piles. The sellers wore wide- brimmed conical straw hats to ward off the merciless Caribbean sun.
Word has gotten around that more than 2,000 U.S. Marines aboard warships are off Haiti's coast, beyond the horizon and out of sight. Ms. Joseph, too poor to own a radio, heard about it from friends.
Despite the knowledge an invasion may be pending, there is little preparation evident here. Supermarkets and bottled water sellers report normal sales, with no panic buying.
Clinton administration officials have said they are considering an invasion to restore democracy and stop an exodus of refugees trying to reach the United States. They have backed up the threat by dispatching 2,860 Marines and 4,700 sailors aboard at least 16 Navy ships in waters off Haiti.
Haitian military leaders are assessing the situation day-by-day and now believe an invasion is possible, although not inevitable, a Haitian military source told The Associated Press. This is a marked change from previous weeks, in which the military believed Washington was bluffing.
Analysts with Haiti's military believe elections for the U.S. Congress next November may influence the White House's decision on whether, and when, to launch a military strike, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The analysts wonder if President Clinton will hesitate to order an immediate strike, since they say it could put U.S. troops into a quagmire here by election day, hurting Democratic candidates' chances for election.
One middle-class Haitian woman, on her way to church Sunday morning, whispered to a reporter that she is fed up with political repression and would welcome an invasion.
"An invasion should have been launched already," said the woman, refusing to give her name out of fear of possible reprisal. "I live in a country where there is no security, no safety. I'm tired of living like this."
^Haitians, Civilians and Military Alike, Wait For Washington's Next Move
^By ANDREW SELSKY
^Associated Press Writer
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) _ Her tired face smeared with black streaks, Mireille Joseph stopped sorting the charcoal she sells to support herself and her four children and considered on Sunday what a U.S. invasion might bring.
Ms. Joseph, one of dozens of charcoal sellers lining a narrow market street in this capital city, hopes like many Haitians that U.S. troops will kick out Haiti's army rulers and restore the president ousted in a 1991 coup.
Jean-Bertrand Aristide, Haiti's first freely elected president, took office promising to improve the lives of the poor, who were ignored for decades by a succession of repressive, elitist governments.
"This is a difficult life, a hard life," Ms. Joseph said as she squatted behind her pieces of charcoal, which she had piled into three tidy stacks. Charcoal is a main source of cooking fuel in Haiti.
"If the invasion brings good things, I'll want it to happen," she said. "I want it to improve my life. Look at me. I'm here doing nothing."
Clouds of black dust drifted by as other charcoal sellers dumped their bags onto the ground and swept them into little piles. The sellers wore wide- brimmed conical straw hats to ward off the merciless Caribbean sun.
Word has gotten around that more than 2,000 U.S. Marines aboard warships are off Haiti's coast, beyond the horizon and out of sight. Ms. Joseph, too poor to own a radio, heard about it from friends.
Despite the knowledge an invasion may be pending, there is little preparation evident here. Supermarkets and bottled water sellers report normal sales, with no panic buying.
Clinton administration officials have said they are considering an invasion to restore democracy and stop an exodus of refugees trying to reach the United States. They have backed up the threat by dispatching 2,860 Marines and 4,700 sailors aboard at least 16 Navy ships in waters off Haiti.
Haitian military leaders are assessing the situation day-by-day and now believe an invasion is possible, although not inevitable, a Haitian military source told The Associated Press. This is a marked change from previous weeks, in which the military believed Washington was bluffing.
Analysts with Haiti's military believe elections for the U.S. Congress next November may influence the White House's decision on whether, and when, to launch a military strike, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The analysts wonder if President Clinton will hesitate to order an immediate strike, since they say it could put U.S. troops into a quagmire here by election day, hurting Democratic candidates' chances for election.
One middle-class Haitian woman, on her way to church Sunday morning, whispered to a reporter that she is fed up with political repression and would welcome an invasion.
"An invasion should have been launched already," said the woman, refusing to give her name out of fear of possible reprisal. "I live in a country where there is no security, no safety. I'm tired of living like this."
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