[R-G] Targeting Aristide In Exile

[Anthony Fenton]

By Stephen Lendman

06 November, 2008
http://www.countercurrents.org/lendman061108.htm

Elected Haiti's president in 1990. Its first ever democratically
chosen one. By a sweeping two-thirds majority. Took office in
February 1991. Deposed by an army-led coup in September with all
the earmarks of being made-in-Washington. Returned to office in
October 1994. Served until February 1996. According to Haitian
law, he couldn't succeed himself. Reelect in November 2000 with
90% of the vote. Took office in February 2001. Served until
February 29, 2004 when, in the middle of the night, US marines
deposed him and forced him into exile.

He's now in South Africa where he remains larger than life.
Haiti's symbolic leader. A man of the people. Dedicated to their
welfare. Steadfast in his principles. Beloved and wanted back. Yet
he's vilified in the press because of the good example he
represents. Accused while in office and still now of all sorts of
things. The way developing country democrats are always treated.
Human rights abuses. Using armed gangs to crush dissent. Retain
power. Political killings. Tolerating corruption. Connections to
drugs trafficking. Profiting from it. Not a shred of it true. Not
a word in the mainstream to expose it, denounce it, and set the
record straight.

Now four years later a resurrected charge. As unfounded as the
others. On the Wall Street Journal's op-ed page by Americas
writer, Mary O'Grady. Known for attacking democrats. Supporting
repression. Right wing extremism. American imperialism and
corporate power. She's excels in journalistic venom mirror
opposite of the truth.

Her latest on October 27, in an article titled: "Democrats for
Despotism." About publicly-owned Haiti Telecommunications
International called Teleco. The once state monopoly now
compromised by de facto privatization. What's plagued Haiti before
and since Aristide by opening its markets to private investors.
Predators. Profiting at the expense of the people. Buying assets
at well below fair value. Part of Washington's imposed
neoliberalism in telecommunications and other areas. So that
companies like Rectel, Haitel, Digicel and Comtel combined exceed
Teleco in size and can take full advantage at the expense of poor
Haitians.

Even so, it hasn't contained O'Grady's brand of diatribe. Again
targeting Aristide, but not for the first time. She called him a
"dictator." Accused him while in office of "inciting violence
against his political opponents." Being "renown for eliminating
his enemies," she blamed Democrats for returning him to office.
Claimed on return he "resumed his despotic ways." Enough so that
"Haitians begged for US help" to remove him. Up to February 2004
when he "was finally run out of the country." Indeed so courtesy
of dispatched US marines. And now a resurrected old canard.

That "Aristide installed his accomplices in (Teleco) management
positions and those accomplices then caused Teleco to enter into
agreements with certain US and Canadian telecommunications
carriers, granting them significantly reduced rates for services
provided by Teleco in exchange for kickbacks, which further
reduced those rates." That the post-Aristide US-installed Latortue
"government opened (Teleco's) books and claimed the company had
been looted." By "Aristide....stealing millions of dollars in
telephone revenues." Not a shred of it true. Not a bit of evidence
to support it, but they tried anyway. By filing suit that was
later withdrawn.

Some Background

In July, the FCC fined IDT $1.3 million - the New Jersey telecom
company run by one of John McCain's top fund raisers, Jim Courter.
It was for failing (in 2003 and 2004) to file a contract for
telephone service to Haiti. According to the FCC, IDT paid Teleco
an illegally low rate for calls it handled between Haiti and the
US.

Courter was a New Jersey Republican congressman from 1979 - 1991.
A former gubanatorial candidate as well, and one of McCain's 20
national finance co-chairmen until he resigned because the fine
generated negative publicity.

Portfolio magazine published two articles on the incident by
freelance journalist Lucy Komisar. Hired by the Haiti Democracy
Project (HDP) to write them. An organization infamous for
vilifying Aristide and his government. Founded in November 2002,
it's based in Washington. Staffed by former US government
officials. Bankrolled by Haiti's right-wing Boulos family. Rudolph
Boulos a prominent Haitian businessman. He and HDP have close ties
to the Bush administration.

This was an encore for Komisar who misreported earlier about
Aristide. Unproved charges of corruption and other accusations.
Typical corporate-sponsored agitprop. Directed at leaders who dare
oppose Washington, neoliberalism, and instead pursue socially
enlightened policies. In the case of Haiti, in the poorest country
in the hemisphere. With its unimaginable level of poverty that
Aristide was dedicated to alleviate. The human need his agenda
addressed. His impressive successes in spite of overwhelming
obstacles. Mostly from Washington under Democrats and Republicans.


The reason why twice coups removed him and why Haitians want him
back. In any capacity. Just his presence. To be home with his
people. What America won't allow. Nonetheless, one day he will be.
Why writers like O'Grady and Komisar keep resurrecting old
canards. For figures like Aristide, they never die. They don't
even fade away.

The Teleco issue is about Aristide's supposed "corrupt" IDT
dealings. The company paid Teleco 8.75 cents per minute for
long-distance calls and not the FCC-established 23 cent rate (at
the time) for other carriers. Komisar claimed IDT paid its fees to
a Turks & Caicos company she identified as "Mount Salem." She then
alleged that 5.75 cents went to Teleco and 3 cents to Aristide.
That Turks & Caicos lawyer Adrian Corr was Aristide's legal
counsel. That he ran "Mount Salem," and that he confirmed that
"Aristide owned the shell."

Her whole story was invented and bogus. By his own admission, Corr
never represented Aristide. Never set up a shell company, and
never kicked back funds to anyone as Komisar and O'Grady claim.

O'Grady's article is about Fusion Telecommunications. Its 1999
contract with Teleco. That it violated FCC rules by granting the
company a preferential rate. Access to Haiti's network "at a rate
of 12 cents a minute, dropping to 11 cents after the first three
million minutes each month" as opposed to "the FCC's official rate
(of) 50 cents a minute, dropping to 46 cents in 2000."

She also claimed an IDT "whisleblower alleged he was fired in 2003
for objecting to a deal in which IDT would get a low termination
rate in exchange for depositing payments in an account for
Aristide." Fusion denies it made any improper payments, and the
FCC has no evidence it did. Not good enough for O'Grady who said
"Haitians can be forgiven for not putting much stock in those
words." Readers can be forgiven for questioning O'Grady's
credibility. Komisar as well.

For his part, Aristide was a parish priest before being elected
president. He never had and today has no ownership stake in any
company, including the so-called "Mount Salem." Ira Kurzban
represents him as legal counsel. He refuted Komisar's accusations
and stated: "Mr. Corr did not and does not represent President
Aristide and President Aristide had no interest in or knowledge of
any company - 'shell' or otherwise - set up in the Turks & Caicos
for any purpose. Mr. Corr never set up 'Mount Salem,' any 'shell'
company, or any other company for President Aristide."

He added that: "these repeated false stories of corruption against
President Aristide are part of a continuing disinformation
campaign against (him) that began when he first took office in
1991." The same type charges levied against democrats like Hugo
Chavez. The latest example in a trial just concluded in a Miami
courtroom. About a suitcase filled with $800,000 for Argentina's
President, Christina Kirchner. For her successful campaign last
year. Both presidents denounced the accusation, but it's still
front-page news in each country and currently in America.
"Suitcasegate" The New York Times called it after a "wealthy
Venezuelan businessman (was convicted of) acting as an
'unregistered agent' (for his country) on American soil."

Unwarranted according to his lawyer who plans to appeal, and said
the trial was a "political circus in which (his client) is a pawn
of the US government." He earlier called the case politically
motivated to embarrass the Chavez government. Venezuela's Foreign
Minister, Nicolas Maduro, said the charges were "absolutely
rigged" and that the defendant wasn't an "unregistered
(Venezuelan) foreign agent."

Contrast this case and accusations against Aristide to Wall
Street's massive fraud. At the heart of the world's financial
crisis. That goes unmentioned in mainstream reports. Lets
criminals loot the federal treasury and puts taxpayers on the hook
for the tab. The same ones defrauded by the scheme. Now left high
and dry on their own while world-class democrats like Aristide and
Chavez are pilloried. Accused of all kinds of bogus things. Even
though Aristide is no longer Haiti's president.

No matter because it's how Washington operates. With full support
from its echo chamber in the press. From writers like Komisar and
O'Grady well paid to comply. It's up to readers to reject their
accounts. Not become hostage to their message, and rely on
alternative news for the truth. There's plenty around and places
to find it as readers of this web site know.

Stephen Lendman is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research
on Globalization. He lives in Chicago and can be reached at
lendmanstephen at sbcglobal.net.

Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to
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