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# Haiti rebel unit agrees to disarm By Susan Milligan, Globe Staff, 3/4/2004 PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- Rebel leader Guy Philippe, whose armed followers have largely controlled the streets of Port-au-Prince since former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide went into exile Sunday, announced yesterday that his forces would lay down their guns and disassemble. "We're doing what's best for the country and the people. We're dismantling the force and putting down our weapons," Philippe, appearing unusually subdued, told reporters at a brief news conference yesterday. The prime minister declared a state of emergency and imposed a national curfew of 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. The makeup of the rest of Haiti's government remained unclear yesterday. US Marines cruised the streets of the capital, where a decade ago American troops helped reinstall then-president Aristide, who had been ousted by a military coup. But the US soldiers, part of a multinational force meant to bring stability to Haiti, did not intervene in shootings or demonstrations yesterday, and residents bemoaned the lack of a clear leader or reliable force to make them safe. "The Americans are sitting here, doing nothing, and all day long people are being shot," said Casimir Roosevelt, 33, looking through the National Palace fence at US tanks assembled on the lawn. "The government that's being established is supposed to stabilize the country right now. But that's not what's happening." The rebels, who had pledged to keep order in the capital, had represented the most cohesive and visible power in Haiti since Aristide fled, alarming US government officials who want Philippe and many of his men to stay out of the new government. Many in the force are former members of the hated Haitian military or of death squads that tortured and executed opponents in the early 1990s. Philippe and his men cast a swaggering presence in Port-au-Prince earlier in the week, patrolling the streets and threatening to arrest the sitting prime minister, Yvon Neptune, who was part of Aristide's government. But yesterday, hours after a meeting at the US ambassador's residence, Philippe said his forces would put down their guns. "I never intended to take power," Philippe said, adding he wanted Haiti to "put democracy back on track." The State Department and the US Embassy did not say whether Philippe met with ambassador James B. Foley. But a State Department spokeswoman said diplomats had "conveyed in private and public statements the need for everyone in Haiti, especially the rebels, to put down their arms and cease all violent activity." The capital was not free from violence yesterday, as members of the "chimeres," militant Aristide supporters, clashed with rebels in the portside La Saline neighborhood, a slum loyal to the exiled president. Shooting also erupted in Belair, a stronghold of the chimeres. Port-au-Prince's morgue overflowed with bodies. Two dead men, who seemed to have been shot or stabbed, were left lying in the hallway of the morgue. The body of another man, badly burned, was dumped on a metal table in the hall. Nine US military vehicles moved in a caravan along the border of the Belair neighborhood minutes after a woman was shot in the leg there, but troops did not enter the troubled area or get out of their vehicles. Heavily armed Marines approached the poor, pro-Aristide neighborhood called Cite Soleil but turned back when they reached a roadblock. Pro-Aristide citizens -- some carrying guns -- marched yesterday from Cite Soleil to the National Palace, frightening other Haitians gathered there. "Whether you want it or not, Aristide will return!" the demonstrators said. "No Aristide, no peace!" The shouts spurred a throng of other residents to race in fear away from the demonstrators and flock alongside the National Palace. Marines readied their guns but stayed inside the grounds. "Hey! Do you speak English? What's going on?" a soldier called to the crowd. Later, a small riot erupted when a group called the Global Peace Initiative unloaded three trucks with food in front of the National Palace. Local residents climbed over one another and fought over bags of potatoes and boxes of cereal. K.A. Paul, the Indian-born founder of the group, stood atop one truck and said a brief prayer as Haitians clamored for the goods. "It's been hard to get food because people could not go out on the streets," said Sientil Ermor, 33, as he carried away two boxes of candy bars. But he added that the security situation had not improved much: "The rebels are killing people. They act like they want to help people, but they are taking revenge. No one is in charge now." A UNICEF plane carrying medicines and other goods arrived yesterday morning. Francois Gruloos-Ackermans, a UNICEF official, said the aid would help 30,000 Haitian women and children. Paul -- who intended to come to Haiti to persuade Aristide to leave, but arrived after the former president's departure -- said he had spoken with Philippe and extracted a promise that Philippe not run for president. The State Department said in a statement yesterday that the interim, multinational force's mission had begun to expand "beyond the vital protection of US personnel and property to the security of the Haitian government and civil institutions." But Haiti's government is in flux. A US official said negotiators were making progress toward appointing a tripartite commission that would select a new prime minister who would then form a government with officials from Aristide's party and the opposition. But political divisions threaten Haiti's desired march toward democracy. Aristide opponents want Neptune ousted, and reports that Neptune had fled the country circulated on Haitian radio yesterday. But Neptune, speaking to reporters yesterday afternoon, said he would not be pushed out by those who lack legitimate government authority. "I was chosen by president Jean-Bertrand Aristide. I am still functioning," Neptune said. "My presence here does not have anything to do with the people who want my head." Neptune also noted the lack of a fully functioning government. Many ministers, he said, are afraid to go to work because of the security situation. And some senior members of Lavalas, Aristide's political party, are reluctant to take part in the new government because they think it would sanction what they consider a Western-led coup that toppled Aristide. If Lavalas refuses to appoint a member to the tripartite commission, the development of a new government could be slowed. A bloc of 14 Caribbean nations yesterday declined to join any peacekeeping force in Haiti, criticizing the United States and France for pushing Aristide out. The former president has said he was kidnapped and forced out, but Neptune and US officials have disputed that charge. © Copyright 2004 Globe Newspaper Company.

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