Embassy Row

Haiti will prevail

The U.S. ambassador to Haiti is trying to stir up patriotic feelings among the citizens of one of the poorest and most dangerous countries in the region and condemning political violence as the work of terrorists.

“Today in Haiti, people are burning homes. They are burning stores. They are attacking transportation and communication links. They are kidnapping people of all social classes. They are assassinating, torturing and raping,” Ambassador James B. Foley said this week.

Mr. Foley urged the Haitian people to reject the violence, widely attributed to gangs loyal to exiled President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who fled to South Africa after a popular uprising in February 2004.

The ambassador called on Haitians to show their loyalty to their country by registering to vote in elections scheduled in October and November to replace the interim government. So far fewer than 5 percent, about 200,000 people, have registered out of 4.5 million eligible voters.

Mr. Foley denounced the killers as terrorists who are too cowardly to even take responsibility for their attacks because they know they have little support in the country.

“The use of violence against civilians for political purposes is the very definition of terrorism,” he said in a speech delivered at an Independence Day reception at the U.S. Embassy and later released on the embassy Web site (https://portauprince.usembassy.gov).

“The terrorists do not dare to reveal themselves. They do not claim responsibility for their actions. There are certainly criminal and shadowy elements who have aligned with the political masterminds and whose participation only makes the political aims all the more illegitimate.”

Mr. Foley said the gangs demonstrate their own “weakness.”

“They are strong when it comes to destruction. However, they are incapable of building anything. In fact their use of violence is a sign of weakness,” he said.

“They claim to represent many Haitians, but, in fact, they terrorize them and hold them hostage, preventing any possibility of economic recovery that would benefit the population.”

Mr. Foley predicted that those responsible for the political violence would fail to regain power because the people of Haiti want peace and no foreign government would deal with them.

“On this occasion I therefore launch an appeal to all Haitians to go register for the elections so that you can, indeed, shape your destiny,” he said. “I know that in the present circumstances, it is very difficult to see a way out of the current situation. But the key to change is in your hands.”

Greek flights safe

The Greek ambassador is cheering the U.S. decision to remove his country from an aviation black list of foreign airlines that failed to meet international safety regulations.

Ambassador George Savvaides said the action by the Federal Aviation Administration will also encourage American tourists to visit Greece. The FAA elevated Greek airlines from “Category 2” to the top-rated “Category 1,” meaning that Greece now meets safety standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The FAA placed Greece in the lower category in 2000.

“The FAA decision is a welcome development since it clearly recognizes the highest standards of safety and performance that the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority is implementing with respect to both airports and air carriers in Greece,” Mr. Savvaides said.

“This same decision will certainly have beneficial effects on Greek tourism and air transport to and from the U.S.”

The FAA said Greece was promoted to the top category after a reassessment of Greek airline safety procedures in May.

“A Category 1 rating means that the Greek civil aviation authority has been assessed by FAA inspectors and has been found to license and oversee air carriers in accordance with ICAO aviation safety standards,” the FAA said.

• Call Embassy Row at 202/636-3297, fax 202/832-7278 or e-mail jmorrison@washingtontimes.com.