Foreigners flee Haiti as looters go on rampage

Foreigners, some guarded by US Marines, were fleeing Haiti in droves today, as looting erupted in the capital and pressure grew for an international intervention and for President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to step down.

Rebel leader Guy Philippe, speaking in Haiti’s second-largest city, Cap-Haitien, which was captured by his fighters on Sunday, told The Associated Press his troops were ready to attack the capital, Port-au-Prince, but wanted to see if Aristide resigned.

“We’re ready. We just want to give a chance to peace,” he said, indicating a willingness to hold off on attacking for the moment. “We’re ready to talk to anyone.”

Philippe said the rebels were watching to see how any possible international intervention might take shape.

“If they do not attack the Haitian people, we won’t attack them,” he said. “If they come to help us to remove Mr Aristide, they will be welcome.”

Philippe had given various deadlines for his threatened attack on the city, most recently next Sunday, his 36th birthday.

French foreign minister Dominique de Villepin called for “the immediate establishment of a civilian peacekeeping force” in Haiti, France’s former colony. French diplomats at the United Nations said the idea was to build up an international police force now so it could be sent to Haiti just after a government of national unity was formed.

“This international force would be responsible for guaranteeing the return to public order and supporting the international community’s action on the ground,” Villepin said. “It would come to the support of a government of national unity.”

The statement came shortly after US president George Bush said the United States was encouraging the international community to provide a strong “security presence” in Haiti as America and its allies continued to work for a political solution.

Jamaican prime minister PJ Patterson has asked the UN Security Council to send a UN-led peacekeeping force to Haiti, The Jamaica Gleaner reported yesterday.

An opposition coalition rejected a US-backed proposal for Aristide to remain president with diminished powers, sharing government with his political rivals. The political opposition, which denies links with the rebels, insists Aristide resign.

De Villepin issued a statement condemning Aristide for the crisis and hinting strongly he should resign.

“As far as President Aristide is concerned, he bears grave responsibility for the current situation,” the statement said. “It’s up to him to draw the conclusions within the bounds of the law. It’s his decision, it’s his responsibility.

“Everyone sees that this is about opening a new page in the history of Haiti.”

French and US diplomats say Aristide used police officers and militant supporters to crush dissent, contributing to the violence and failed to fight corruption in the police and judiciary.

Haitian government spokesman Mario Dupuy told AP that foreign minister Joseph Antonio and Aristide’s chief of staff, Jean-Claude Desgranges were on their way to Paris yesterday to meet de Villepin.

Opposition leaders said they did not know when they might be able to get to Paris for a similar meeting with de Villepin, because of the chaos in the streets.

Roads in the capital were blocked by Aristide militants who set up dozens of flaming barricades.

They were initially erected to prevent rebels from entering the capital, but yesterday the militants began robbing people at the barricades.

Police initially did nothing but later arrested a dozen people accused of robbing people at roadblocks on the way to the airport.

American Airlines said three of its five daily flights to the United States were delayed because crew and passengers were trying to get through the roadblocks. Air Jamaica cancelled its flights to Haiti indefinitely.

Looters struck two warehouses in Port-au-Prince, stealing €195,000 worth of medical equipment and food from one, and €300,000 worth of tropical wood from the other.

Armed looters trying to plunder a food warehouse were turned back by security guards after a brief gun battle. No injuries were reported.

US Marines, who arrived on Monday, were escorting a convoy of UN personnel after the United Nations ordered all non-essential staff and family to leave the country on Wednesday, a spokeswoman said.

“The situation is bad and it’s becoming worse,” said Francoise Gruloos-Ackermans, UNICEF co-ordinator for Haiti.

Overnight, people looted and torched a car dealership on the airport road. A bar in the upmarket Petionville suburb was set ablaze at night and shops around it were looted yesterday.

The Spanish Embassy in the Dominican Republic has rented a plane to evacuate Spanish citizens from Haiti, Spanish Embassy spokeswoman Patricia Corrales said in Santo Domingo, the capital of the neighbouring country.

Canada and the Dominican Republic said small teams of their soldiers were on their way to Haiti yesterday to protect their embassies. Canadian Maj Mike Audette said the Canadians would join soldiers sent on Tuesday to prepare for the possible evacuation of more than 1,000 Canadians in Haiti.

Mexico, saying Haiti was in “a general state of anarchy”, sent a military plane to evacuate about three dozen Mexican diplomats and other citizens, and offered to take people from other countries.

The last of 56 Mormon missionaries in Haiti left Wednesday.