- Title: HAITI: U.S. CITIZENS EVACUATE HAITI.
- Date: 21st February 2004
- Summary: (EU) PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI (FEBRUARY 20, 2004) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. GV: EXTERIOR OF PORT-AU-PRINCE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT 0.05 2. CU: HAITIAN FLAG 0.08 3. MV: AIRPORT SECURITY 0.09 4. MV: UNITED STATES CITIZENS LEAVING AIRPORT 0.14 5. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. CITIZEN RENE GUTTENBURG, SAYING: "We had to wait here and we decided that it's best to go home right now because it looks like things aren't going to resolve for awhile." 0.22 6. GV: U.S. CITIZENS WITH SUITCASES AT AIRPORT 0.26 7. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. CITIZEN NANCY MACWILLIAMS, SAYING: "Our organization has told us that it's safer for us to go and not to be here anymore." 0.33 8. GV: BAGGAGE HANDLERS HELPING U.S. CITIZENS TAKE SUITCASES OUT OF VEHICLE 0.40 9. MV/PAN: UNIDENTIFIED U.S. CITIZEN IN AIRPORT EXTERIOR 0.49 10. (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNIDENTIFIED U.S. CITIZEN SAYING: "Let me tell you something: Haiti is not going to die." 0.54 11. GV: UNIDENTIFIED U.S. CITIZEN WALKING IN EXTERIOR OF AIRPORT 0.58 12. GV/PAN: PEOPLE STANDING ON LINE IN INTERIOR OF PORT-AU-PRINCE AIRPORT 1.06 13. GV/MV: VARIOUS OF U.S., CITIZENS IN AIRPORT (6 SHOTS) 1.37 14. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. CITIZEN PETE PETERS SAYING: "Well, we're a mission team from Pennsylvania in the United States. We built a church and we completed our project. Now, we're going home to see our family. We've heard about the security problems but we've left our safety in God's hands. And God's taking very good care of us." 1.54 15. VARIOUS: VARIOUS OF AMERICANS IN AIRPORT (9 SHOTS) 2.27 PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI (FEBRUARY 18, 2004) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 16. GV/LV: AMERICAN AIRLINES AIRPLANE LEAVING PORT-AU-PRINCE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (2 SHOTS) 2.35 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 7th March 2004 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI
- Country: Haiti
- Reuters ID: LVA7I61NAYBAJA7EZ8LNNWD1FOQW
- Story Text: U.S. citizens leave Haiti because of political
unrest.
U.S. citizens left Haiti on Friday (February 20), a
day after the United States State Department warned its
citizens to leave the country while they still could.
With luggage in hand, charity workers and private U.S.
citizens waited at the Port-au-Prince airport for flights
to the United States.
As gunmen have intensified their attacks in cities
across Haiti, the U.S. State Department issued a travel
warning citing concern over roadblocks and telling citizens
to leave Haiti "while commercial carriers are still
operating on an uninterrupted schedule."
It is at least the third time since the beginning of
the year that the department has issued increasingly
heightened warnings to U.S. travellers about the situation
in Haiti. It recently said it had offered free flights out
of Haiti to its nonessential diplomats and to all embassy
family members on a voluntary basis.
Some U.S. citizens waiting at the Port-au-Prince
international airport said their organizers were now
requiring them to leave.
"Our organization has told us that it's safer for us
to go and not to be here anymore," said Nancy MacWilliams
as she waited for a flight with her companions.
In a written statement, the U.S. embassy said the
Peace Corps had ordered its volunteers to leave also, but
Pete Peters, on a missions trip to build a church, said he
wasn't worried.
"We built a church and we completed our project. Now,
we're going home to see our family," Peters said. "We heard
about the security problems but we've left our safety in
God's hands. And God's taking very good care of us."
Up to 50 people have died in violence since armed
gangs took control of the city of Gonaives several weeks
ago and began a violent siege on the country.
Despite mounting pressure from the international
community, embattled President Jean-Bertrand Aristide has
vowed to stay in power and said he had no intention of
stepping down.
A diminutive former parish priest who was once popular
as he led Haiti into democracy after decades of
dictatorship, Aristide now faces accusations of political
violence and corruption amidst an armed gang rebellion
sweeping the country.
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