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01/24/2006:

"U.S. Gvt. Channels Millions Through National Endowment for Democracy to Fund Anti-Lavalas Groups in Haiti"

Interview with Anthony Fenton

...We want to continue our Haiti coverage leading up to the election by looking at the activities of a government-funded organization that is pouring millions of dollars into trying to influence the country's political future. The National Endowment for Democracy is one of a handful of state-funded groups that have played a pivotal role in the internal politics of several Latin American and Caribbean countries in the service of the US government.

The NED operates with an annual budget of $80 million dollars from U.S. Congress and the State Department. In Venezuela, it's given money to several political opponents of President Hugo Chavez. With elections underway in Haiti, it's reportedly doing the same to groups linked to the country's tiny elite and former military.

Last week Democracy Now! interviewed Anthony Fenton about NED's activities in Haiti and across the Caribbean and Latin America. Fenton is an independent journalist and co-author of the book "Canada in Haiti: Waging War On The Poor Majority." He has interviewed several top governmental and non-governmental officials dealing with Haiti as well as leading members of Haiti's business community. Last month, he helped expose an NED-funded journalist who was filing stories for the Associated Press from Haiti. The Associated Press subsequently terminated its relationship with the journalist.
democracynow.org



A Port au Prince Neighborhood Organizes for Peace
...Some individuals living in Gran Ravin who retain arms are resistant to the idea of giving them up and, thus far, have opposed the disarmament camp. According to Sason, some of these people want to retain weapons for community protection from further politically motivated attack from the police or anti-Lavalas groups like “Lame Ti Manchet”. Others, he says, retain weapons for criminal use, and there are those who maintain a firearm for personal protection as is allowed by law and that these people may disregard the disarmament plea. Nevertheless, according to lawyer Evel Fanfan, President of the Haitian human rights group AUMOHD (who also presented to the group), all of the residents in attendance December 18 were supportive of the general peace initiative being presented. Those at the meeting who have arms agreed to turn in their weapons with two conditions: 1. that AUMOHD facilitate the process instead of the UN whom several commented they didn’t trust in general or felt betrayed by in their previous involvement with the UN’s DDR (Disarmament Demobilization Reintegration) program and 2. that the other civilian armed groups in the area who could attack them agree to disarm as well.