U.S. leaders debate whether President Aristide resigned as part of a constitutional transition or a U.S.-backed coup.

BY MARIKA LYNCH, JACQUELINE CHARLES AND ANDRES OPPENHEIMER

While members of the U.S. Congressional Black Caucus accused the Bush administration of toppling the democratically elected president of Haiti, the White House on Sunday insisted that the transfer of power was constitutional and that the events that led to it were not induced or encouraged by Washington.

Senior U.S. officials told The Herald that, far from undermining the regime of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the United States restored him to power in 1994, spent $3 billion in trying to help him put the country back on its feet, and in recent months went out of its way to seek a political agreement to save his presidency.

''As a matter of fact, the United States made a last-ditch effort to seek a political solution, which came after three years of diplomatic efforts to salvage Aristide's presidency,'' said Roger F. Noriega, the top U.S. State Department official in charge of Latin American and Caribbean affairs.

''Unfortunately, the opposition was unprepared to accept the international community's assurances that it would hold Aristide accountable for his misdeeds,'' Noriega added.

FRANCE A KEY

Only after France demanded Aristide's resignation did the United States decide not to accept Aristide's call for an international peacekeeping force that -- without a political settlement -- would have in effect helped save his presidency, U.S. officials say.

''We were not prepared to make the same mistake we made over the past 10 years: accepting mere promises from Aristide. In the final analysis, we could not recommend putting Americans in harm's way, merely to test Aristide's sincerity once again,'' Noriega said.

But Rep. Charles Rangel, a member of the Black Caucus who was involved in restoring Aristide to power in 1994, said the United States must shoulder much of the blame for his fall and the chaos that brought it on. ''I don't know what's going on, but we are just as much a part of this coup d'état as the rebels, looters or anyone else,'' Rangel, D-N.Y., said on ABC's This Week.

Said U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, D-Miami: ``Obviously the Bush administration had a plan from the beginning, and it's played out now. Unfortunately so many Haitians had to lose their lives in that plan.''

Aristide and his supporters have long alleged that Washington has worked to undermine the Haitian president's power as the White House's position toward Aristide hardened since his return to power in 1994. They cite the example of the cut-off of U.S. aid to Haiti after flawed legislative elections in 2000, leaving wobbly institutions like the National Police to flounder, then turning around and condemning the government for letting drug traffickers use Haiti as a pit stop.

The United States also pushed the Inter-American Development Bank to freeze loans to Haiti -- even though the bank had lent money to the country during the reign of the Duvalier family, critics of the Bush administration say.

Haiti's American lawyer and lobbyist, Ira Kurzban of Miami, alleged that Washington was secretly behind the rebels who seized much of Haiti since Feb. 5 -- even though U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell has repeatedly called them ``thugs.''

DENY ALLEGATIONS

But senior U.S. officials vehemently deny those charges and insist Aristide's departure was constitutional.

First, they say, Aristide resigned, turning over power to the official who was next in line under the Haitian constitution. This is what happened in other recent cases, such as the recent forced departure of former Bolivian President Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada.

As to allegations that Washington undermined Aristide in recent years by denying him money from international financial institutions, a senior U.S. official said, ``It is ironic that members of the Congressional Black Caucus are saying this, because that decision was taken by the Clinton administration.''

Asked whether Aristide's forced resignation amid an armed insurrection could set a dangerous precedent in a region with several weak presidents facing violent social protests, U.S. officials say Aristide's case was unique.

France and the United States withdrew their support from Aristide in the final days because there were nearly half a dozen U.N. resolutions that Aristide had failed to comply with, and Aristide was asking for a multinational intervention to defend him.

Herald staff writers Manny Garcia, Juan O. Tamayo and Frank Davies contributed to this report.