America's little diplomatic victory -- enlisting 266 Caribbean troops for a multinational force -- didn't faze Haiti's military ruler, Lt. Gen. Raoul Cedras. While top American officials huddled with representatives of seven Caribbean states last week, Cedras took the afternoon off. Dressed casually and surrounded by his Uzi-toting masked guards, he toured the southwestern Haitian town of Leogane with his wife.
Still, the Clinton administration wants Cedras to go. Last week, the Pentagon's second-ranking official said a multinational force was going to Haiti, peacefully or by force if necessary. But Cedras shows no sign of leaving and even refused to meet with a United Nations envoy. His bravado may be well placed: The administration, with the military might to invade, has yet to line up as many as 6,000 international observers and police who would keep the peace once exiled President Jean-Bertrand Aristide returns. Training of the 266 Caribbean troops, to begin in weeks, is merely a first step. Meanwhile, the killing continues in Haiti. Father Jean-Marie Vincent, who saved Aristide's life in 1987, was murdered in front of his home last week.
