[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 70 (Wednesday, June 8, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: June 8, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                      FURTHER DOWN THE WRONG ROAD

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Florida [Mr. Goss] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GOSS. Madam Speaker, 2 weeks have passed since the House last 
visited the Haiti issue. If one looks at the media spin in the 
headlines, it appears that the United States is making great strides 
there. However, behind the headlines, the substance indicates that we 
are still striding down the wrong road. Despite the clear signs that 
the President's new refugee policy is encouraging Haitians--more than 
1,600 since the policy was announced--to take to their leaky boats, the 
administration has not abandoned it. Instead, we have tried to fine-
tune a bad policy by pursuing agreements with our Caribbean neighbors. 
The United States can now anchor its $34,000-a-day Ukrainian ships in 
Jamaican water for refugee processing. In turks and caicos we can use 
the beach--for the small price of a $12 million investment in the local 
infrastructure and a pledge that we will help repatriate 3,000 of the 
Haitians already on shore there. In both cases, it will be U.S. 
personnel, U.S. funds, and U.S. refuge for those seeking political 
asylum. Bottomline: Same policy, different location, higher price tag. 
This week, the administration announced with much fanfare its plan to 
ratchet up the misery-producing embargo again, this time with a ban on 
commercial flights and financial transactions. Yet despite this 
pressure, the military leadership in Haiti remains defiant, attacking 
Haitians attempting to leave, reinstating the Macoutes and freezing 
United States aid funds in Haitian banks. The thugs and their 
supporters have hunkered down, stockpiled, and are prepared to wait 
this latest crisis out. Opportunists on both sides of the Haitian-
Dominican Republic border are proving nightly that the leaks in the 
Embargo cannot be plugged when the sun goes down. Meanwhile, missionary 
networks in Haiti report growing signs of malnutrition and desperate 
Haitians are slaughtering their goats and chopping down what's left of 
their mango trees just to survive today. For tomorrow, they will have 
nothing--and appear ready to risk the dangers of the seas. Much-needed 
Humanitarian relief flights remain mired in bureaucracy and grounded in 
the United States while the United Nations sanctions board decides 
whether or not to allow them to journey to Hispaniola. It is only a 
matter of time before the embargo is deemed a failure and the President 
moves on to plan B. Everyone knows it--even the President's own Haiti 
advisors. In fact, in the 2 weeks since the House voted to send the 
White House a clear no on military intervention in Haiti, the 
administration has purposely moved closer to just that plan of action. 
From the President's outline of his top six reasons to invade Haiti, to 
the buildup of military personnel and machinery in the Caribbean, to 
the Public call to arms from de facto White House Haiti advisor Randall 
Robinson, to pressure in this House to reverse itself on its strong no 
to United States military intervention--the signs are all there. Even 
some in the international community are preparing for the United States 
to take that step. The French Embassy is evacuating Embassy dependents 
and the United Nations has plans to do the same. While they are getting 
potential hostages out of the unwelcome line of fire, our important 
allies in Haiti--France, Venezuela, Canada, the OAS, the United 
Nations--have refused to support military intervention. And, they 
remain divided on whether or not to join peacekeeping forces if 
democracy is restored. Acting alone, the United States military easily 
could put down the resistance of the rag-tag Haitian military.

  However, as one unnamed official at the Pentagon noted: ``The problem 
isn't getting in, it's getting out.'' The administration doesn't have 
any good answers about the rules of engagement or an exit strategy, but 
we are hearing disturbing talk of nation building--the disastrous and 
ill-defined approach that led to tragedy in Somalia. When the Committee 
of the Whole rises on consideration of the national defense 
authorization later this week, rumor has it that we can expect another 
vote on the Goss amendment. Clearly the White House is unhappy that 
this House has gone on record against military intervention in Haiti. 
In this administration, it seems, the tactic if you don't like an 
outcome is to twist some arms, make some deals, and try again. I urge 
my colleagues to resist this pressure: Support once again a clear 
``no'' on military intervention and a ``yes'' to embracing constructive 
solutions like the safe haven plan.

                          ____________________