Invasion

WASHINGTON -- Struggling to win congressional and public support for an invasion of Haiti, the Clinton administration offered assurances yesterday that U.S. soldiers would do little more than restore Haiti's exiled president to power and issued a grim new litany of human rights abuses by the ruling junta.Senior officials said the military force will restore the democratically elected president, the Rev. Jean-Bertrand Aristide, and help him remain in office until his mandate runs out at the end of 1995.

KUWAIT CITY, Kuwait -- At first look, life hums along here and Iraq's invasion of Kuwait five years ago seems a thing of the past.The emir is building a seashore palace that goes on for four or five blocks. The reinstated Parliament debates -- loudly -- all kinds of issues. And more than a few people are trying to buy that magical lingerie that, as the story goes, falls down when you clap your hands.Is Kuwait over the invasion blues?Not even close.The spirit of the invasion hovers over this place like the ferocious heat of summer, an almost suffocating force on the collective psyche.

Turns out it was aliens who got rid of the dinosaurs, because the critters weren't smart enough.Who would've thought it?Robin Cook, that's who, the man responsible for the ludicrous, much-hyped ratings-blockbuster-to-be miniseries "Robin Cook's 'Invasion.' "If this one lives up to its advance billing, it won't be because it's any good.Luke Perry, who perfected brooding on "Beverly Hills 90210," stars as a "likable young man" (in NBC's words) who has the misfortune of picking up a shiny black stone while standing outside a Phoenix diner.

PANAMA CITY, Panama -- "I wish the hell they never came," said Hernando Bonilla, 28, of the U.S. troops who last December stormed into his country to oust Gen. Manuel Antonio Noriega. "I haven't been able to find work since the invasion."Once a sailor, he now scratches out a living collecting shattered glass and discarded wood at a dump.To Mr. Bonilla and thousands of Panamanians, the invasion was a mixed blessing, removing a hated dictator but leaving behind a society with few jobs, scarce housing and little to eat.While many Americans have long forgotten Panama, this tiny, strategic nation is locked in an economic crisis that "could eventually fuel social instability and require the intervention of American troops stationed here," said a business executive who advises the government.

WASHINGTON -- The Clinton administration has intensified efforts to gain U.N. support for a U.S.-led invasion of Haiti, and U.S. officials privately said they hoped a vote on the issue could be held by next Friday in the U.N. Security Council.While declining to use the word "invasion," officials at the White House, State Department and United Nations said the administration is pressing Security Council members to authorize "all means necessary" to restore democracy to Haiti.The officials said that such language was used in U.N. resolutions preceding the 1991 attack in the Persian Gulf.

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- It's one of Taipei's four nice days a year, but Cheng Lang-ping wants to meet in a dark and icy steakhouse. The meeting comes only after a friend thrice removed has vouched that the reporter is not CIA, FBI or KGB. And, of course, no photos, please.It may sound a bit excessive, even for a best-selling author, but Mr. Cheng has just written a book that has so shocked his fellow citizens that he has received death threats and charges of being a spy.The book is called "August 1995: The Prediction of Communist China's Military Invasion of Taiwan."

Denver C. Blackwell, who participated in the D-Day invasion and was the last of the six Blackwell brothers who served in the Army during World War II, died Wednesday of lung cancer at Harbor Hospital Center. He was 76 and lived in Cherry Hill. Born in Elberton, Ga., and raised on McCulloh Street, Mr. Blackwell attended Frederick Douglass High School. In 1943, he was drafted into the Army and trained as a "duck driver" for an amphibious vehicle. He served with the 817th Amphibious Truck Company, an all-black unit that participated in the Normandy invasion on June 6, 1944.

WASHINGTON -- En route to Washington Sunday night aboard the blue-and-white C-137 emblazoned United States of America, former President Jimmy Carter was stunned to learn that the barely hours-old agreement that averted a massive U.S. invasion of Haiti was in trouble.His aide, Robert Pastor, who had remained in Port-au-Prince, told Mr. Carter by telephone that the Haitian military leaders were "scared" by the tough language used by President Clinton in his 9:30 p.m. address announcing the pact to the American public.

An elderly Guilford man was in stable condition yesterday after he was severely beaten by an intruder and left bleeding and helpless for hours before a relative found him near death, police said.The home invasion was similar to at least three others that have occurred in the wealthy North Baltimore neighborhood since mid-October, police said.Police said that when the daughter of James Chillis, 79, of the 4500 block of Underwood Road arrived at his home about noon Saturday, she found his car parked in the driveway with the keys in the ignition and groceries in the back seat.

A ragtag march from an Irish pub to the Senator Theatre last night marked the premiere of First Invasion: The War of 1812, a History Channel documentary that city leaders hope will stir civic pride and boost historical tourism in Baltimore. Mayor Martin O'Malley, who has been known to don a historical costume from time to time, seemed to revel in the festivities. He has made Baltimore's starring role in the war a focal point of his efforts to improve the city's national reputation and make it a tourist destination.