Voices

The return to Haiti of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide inspired expressions of joy, gratitude and hope.

“The 15th of October. What a beautiful day this is . . . a day to celebrate, a day of deliverance, a day of nonviolence.”

--Jean-Bertrand Aristide, arriving at the Haitian airport in Port-au-Prince after three years of exile

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“His message of no vengeance, no violence, is the right thing to heal Haiti, attract investment and create jobs to break the cycle of poverty.”

--The Rev. Jesse Jackson, before Aristide’s speech at the Presidential Palace in Port-au-Prince

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“What’s occurring today goes beyond Haiti. There is a strong message for the region that a coup d’etat cannot endure, that the international community won’t tolerate it.”

--Dante Caputo, former U.N. special envoy for Haiti in an interview aboard the plane taking Aristide back

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“When I saw him on television actually touch the ground, it felt like Jesus was back on Earth.”

--Maria Simon, a 28-year-old nurse who left Haiti when she was 14

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“Arms together, we salute all of our foreign friends. . . . I have bought a bouquet of flowers and sent its perfumed aroma to President Clinton.”

--Aristide, in a speech from the steps of Haiti’s Presidential Palace

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“I hope all the coup leaders, all the military men in the hemisphere who have designs on their democratic government will take a lesson from this.”

--U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher, before returning to Washington

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“Haiti needs change. Prices are very high. Maybe (Aristide’s) return will improve things.”

--Paul Frisnel Bonnet, Haitian policeman

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“I had goose bumps all over my body seeing Aristide in the national palace. I was praying for nothing to happen to him, and I was a little bit afraid.”

--George Wilbert, 22, partying with thousands of Haitians in the downtown Heroes of Independence Plaza

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“Haitians finally have a chance for democracy and can move to rebuild the country and build a future for their children. . . . It’s never too late for democracy.”

--Rep. Maxine Waters (D-L.A.), part of American delegation in Haiti

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“He is my blood, my life.”

--Woman who had come to Presidential Palace to show support for Aristide

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“There are still plenty of people out there who want to kill him, I suspect we will protect him for a long time to come.”

--Col. Mike Sullivan, commander of the American military police unit in Port-au-Prince