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[rada21]

France is one of the European countries who decided against the Iraq War. In the US talk radio were all over that fact. French wine were being spilled on the street of the country. Some restaurant even decided they would not serve French fries. High class French restaurant were contemplating closing up since the clients were absent. Whoa! Such patriotism? I wish I could say the same about my Haitians brothers!

France and United States were not on good terms at that point. France refused to join in with Italy, England and the US to form that world coalition attacking Iraq. It took a little time after the war started for these two to mend fences. That opportunity came when Aristide read an article written by Francis Saint-Hubert, MD, MPH and decide to act on it.

Haiti?s independence: the price of Liberty in dollar and cents, by Dr. St Hubert, gave Haiti the same rights that the Jews acquired in term of restitution for their misery at the hand of the Germans. In 1825, under the threat of imminent bombardment and occupation, France exacted a huge indemnity from Haiti as a condition to formally recognized the independence this country had proclaim 21 years earlier. As Dr. St-Hubert maintain? NO OTHER COUNTRY IN THE WORLD HAD EVER HAD TO REIMBURSE ITS FORMER COLONIZING POWER, UPON ACCEDING TO INDEPENDENCE, AS A PREREQUISITE OF ITS ACCEPTANCE AMONG THE ESTABLISHED NATIONS?.

Haiti, under duress, had to pay the sum of 150 millions for an independence it achieved on the battle field, defeating the best army of that time. It came to that our country had to turn over to France all of its annual revenue for 5 years and it did not stop there. Imagine England making a similar request to the US, a country born out of an unfair taxation revolt. At today?s rate the amount paid as of 2004 amounted to a staggering 58 billions. AND THEY ASK WHY HAITI IS SO POOR? This may be regarded as the price of all the infrastructures, such as roads, power plants, schools, hospitals, sewers, water treatment facilities that Haiti as a young country could have built with the money she was forced to pay to France.

Aristide formed a committee to work on getting that money back to Haiti. It started to look good with the French ministry spoke on the subject with no rejection or acceptance. In the background the US offered: let?s used the group 184 since we finance them and Guy Philip and his gang to get rid of Aristide and the restitution movement will die; let us put our own man in there, Gerard Latortue, and they will forget the movement started by Aristide. And it was done.

The country is in chaos and no one is standing in front of the French embassies all around the world with signs asking for the restitution monies due to Haiti and the movement stated by Aristide.

Are we going to let such a movement die?

[Lionel Vernet]

Bien parle, mais il faut avoir le pouvoir qu'avait Aristide pour faire une telle demande. Je pense que l' idee est geniale et Aristide fut un bon-mauvais genie.

Toutefois je suis pour quiconque revendique nos biens a qui que ce soit. Je suis Haitien et j' aime beaucoup mon pays. A propos d' Haiti, Ki le nou ap leve kampe pou ale defendre droit nou kom dyaspora.