A look at Anarchy in Haiti
KELLI ARENA, CNN ANCHOR: It's 2:00 p.m. Cap Haitian, Haiti, 9:00 p.m. in Gaza. Hello, I'm Kelli Arena in Washington. Ahead this hour, violence and looting in Haiti as rebel forces threaten to overthrow President Aristide. And writing a new law for the land. Coalition forces move closer to drafting a new constitution for war-torn Iraq. And George Costanza in Jerusalem? Well, we've got the story of the worlds most selfish character making a unique trip to the holy land. But first these headlines. A family missing in Mississippi. Now investigators say they're a step closer to solving the two-week disappearance of the Hargon family. Authorities are searching a vet office and home near Taylorsville. A relative of the family is being questioned in the case. In Pakistan a suicide bombing at a Shia mosque in Rawalpindi, that's near the capital, Islamabad. Authorities say the bomber was killed, four others are hurt. Police say the bomb went off as people were praying. A meeting on North Korea's nuclear program ends without major progress. Six nations attended three days of negotiations in China, but they cited minor progress. Washington rejected an offer to end the WMD program because North Korea would not admit to having a uranium program. Let's begin the hour in Gaza where Israeli jets or possibly helicopters targeted a car carrying suspected Islamic Jihad militants. CNN's Ben Wedeman is following this story from Jerusalem -- Ben.</s>BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That attack took place about two hours and 15 minutes when an Israeli Apache helicopter apparently fired three missiles, according to Palestinian security sources, that hit a vehicle outside of Gaza City. This attack resulted in the death of the occupants of that vehicle, three men, all of whom have been identified as members of the military wing of Islamic Jihad. In addition to those three, one young boy was killed, apparently a bystander, in addition, 15 other people were wounded in the attack. Several of them, according to Palestinian hospital sources are still in critical condition. Now, according to an Israeli spokesman, he described the militants, these people who were killed in the attack as ticking bombs. And he said that Israel will continue to target militants in Gaza at the same time as it prepares to withdraw sometime from Gaza later this year. Now, a senior Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erakat condemned this attack saying that it only adds fuel to the fire. And he called on the United States and other members of the so- called quartet, the European Union, Russia, and the United Nations, to push forward, reaccelerate the peace process to avoid this kind of attack in the future -- Kelli.</s>ARENA: All right. CNN's Ben Wedeman, thanks for that report. Haiti's president is calling for peace, even as looting and lawlessness rack the Caribbean nation. Rebels seeking to overthrow Jean-Bertrand Aristide are converging on the capital. A tense situation gets more tense. CNN's Lucia Newman has the latest from there, via video phone.</s>LUCIA NEWMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice-over): The streets of the capital are somewhat more calm today. The roadblocks and</s>ARENA: Here in the u.s., some members of Congress are voicing their concerns about Haiti. The Congressional Black Caucus is asking President Bush to intervene in the crisis before it becomes a blood bath. Congressman Maxine Waters has just returned from Haiti and she joins us now from Los Angeles. Congressman, thank you for joining us.</s>REP. MAXINE WATERS (D), CALIFORNIA: You're welcome.</s>ARENA: What is it that you would like to see the president do at this point?</s>WATERS: I would like the international community form an international response to the violence going on. Go in, support the Haitian police, help to stabilize Haiti, get the old paramilitary guys out. You know, these old paramilitary guys were tied to the Duvalier regime. They are back. They are the ones that are armed. They are the ones that's holding the people of Gonaives and Cap Haitian hostage. They need to be driven out of the country. Everybody needs to disarm. And with the help of an international police force, or soldiers or somebody who can organize to give assistance to Haiti we could stabilize Haiti. So, it doesn't have to be the United States alone.</s>ARENA: What would -- what would the exit strategy be?</s>WATERS: Well, the exit strategy could be that they're there, and there in order to calm Haiti and make sure that those old soldiers, some of them who have been convicted in absentia (ph) because of the killings they did before when they tried to have -- when they drove Aristide out of the office when he was first elected. They should be arrested. They should be driven out of the country and put in jail.</s>ARENA: Now you do not agree with the Bush administration's request that Aristide step aside.</s>WATERS: They have not made that request.</s>ARENA: Bush -- we heard that from Colin Powell.</s>WATERS: No what Colin Powell said, he felt that it may be in the best interest of everybody for him to resign, but he did not request that.</s>ARENA: When you hear that, though, when you hear that from Mr. Powell, who was very instrumental in establishing Aristide in the first place, does that not lend some credibility to the difficulty that Haiti faces, and perhaps his assumption that this cannot be solved?</s>WATERS: No. As a matter of fact this government has said that they will not insist on the ouster of a Democratically elected president. They wish to have a political solution. The problem is the opposition that is led by Mr. Andy Apaid Jr. in Haiti, in Port-au- Prince will not come to the peace table. I was in Haiti when the president signed off on the proposal that was brought by the international community headed by Mr. Noriega, the top assistant to Colin Powell. And the rest of the representatives from France and Canada. So, it is the opposition that we need to be putting the pressure on. If we put pressure on Mr. Apaid and the committee of 184 to come to the table, get rid of the thugs that came in, that's holding those cities hostage, we can stabilize Haiti and be in and out in a short period of time.</s>ARENA: All right. Obviously at this stage of the game, still being in Iraq, election year, politics involved very fine line, though, that this administration has to walk in committing any more troops, any more money to any other international situation, don't you agree?</s>WATERS: Well, as a matter of fact there are three ships off the shores of Haiti now. And those ships are there basically to stop people who would like to flee and take to the sea and we are more concerned about stopping people from showing up on the shores of Florida and other places than we are about saving lives in Haiti. If we go in and stabilize Haiti, those people will not want to take to the sea and try and flee and get out. So, those ships and the soldiers who are there should be used for stabilization rather than just trying to stop Haitians from coming to Florida.</s>ARENA: All right. Congressman Maxine Waters, thanks for joining us.</s>WATERS: You're welcome.</s>ARENA: The state department is suggesting that president Aristide resign to end the violence. But Mr. Aristide said his departure is out of the question. Meanwhile the White House is said to be making contingency plans. Suzanne Malveaux is live at the white house with the latest -- Suzanne.</s>SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kelli, we just got some new news this is from senior State Department officials who have been speaking with CNN. First of all, they say Secretary Powell has spoken with U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan today as well as his French counterpart about the latest situation in Haiti. That the message has been delivered and we are not sure how to Aristide, that it is best that he step down. That he consider his future and his responsibilities to the Haitian people. We are also told there is no formal plan to evacuate U.S. citizens, but the State Department warning that it is not safe for Americans to travel to the airport and there are no regularly scheduled commercial airlines that are leaving Haiti at this time. So, they say the best things for Americans to do is stay put in their homes, that is the safest way to deal with this at this time. Now, the other part of this, of course, is that President Bush has not yet signed off on a possible contingency plan that would involve three ships, these ships would be dispatched to the coast of Haiti. It would involve some 2,200 marines. That would be there, perhaps as early as sometime next week. What would be their mission, some possible suggestions here would be reinforcing or evacuating U.S. personnel, the embassy there. Assisting the coast guard in actually intercepting and bringing Haitians back to the shores from the sea or providing a safe transport for Aristide if he decides that he will leave the country. But so far the Bush administration is saying they still want to find a political solution.</s>ARENA: All right.</s>GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are interesting in achieving a political settlement and we working toward that effect. We're also at the same time planning for a multinational force that would go in and make sure if aide needed to be delivered or there needs to be stability that it could go in depending upon a political settlement.</s>MALVEAUX: The administration is taking two routes here. On the one hand encouraging a power sharing deal, a settlement here. Then they would be a part of a multinational force that they would send to Haiti following that. The other, of course, is the back channel to the State Department to encourage Aristide to step down -- Kelli.</s>ARENA: All right. Suzanne Malveaux, thanks for that report. The latest developments from Haiti are a merely mouse click away. Logon to cnn.com for the full story of the unrest in the Caribbean nation. Get video and pictures when you logon to cnn.com. Investigators may have the break they need in the case of a missing Mississippi family. Up next, the investigation shifts to a relative who may have answers in the case. 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