[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 132 (Tuesday, September 20, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: September 20, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                          THE HAITI RESOLUTION

  Ms. MOSELEY-BRAUN. Mr. President, when the coup in Haiti first 
occurred, then Secretary of State Baker, on behalf of the Bush 
administration, committed that ``this coup must not, and will not, 
succeed.''
  President Clinton, when he took office, maintained that commitment, 
because he understood that the commitment made by the Bush 
administration was strongly in our national interest.
  The President therefore worked long and hard, using every diplomatic 
and economic tool possible, to restore democracy to Haiti.
  Unfortunately, the plotters who overthrew Haiti's constitutional 
government were prepared to see their people suffer and starve rather 
than give up their power. While they agreed to leave Haiti in the 
Governor's Island Accord, they broke that agreement and continued to 
try to cling to power.
  To cement their rule, they terrorized their own people, even killing 
orphans and priests who had the temerity to support the democratically-
elected leader of Haiti.
  Economic sanctions were bringing the Haitian economy, already the 
poorest in this hemisphere, to an ever more desperate condition. And 
still, the military dictators refused to end their illegal usurpation 
of Haiti's duly-elected government.
  The President, therefore, reluctantly concluded that only force would 
enable the United States to meet its commitment to restoring democratic 
government to Haiti.
  I supported that decision. Diplomacy was not working, and sanctions 
were causing terrible hardships for the average Haitian without 
inflicting any comparable pressure on the Haitian military dictators.
  However, I also strongly supported the President's decision to send 
three very distinguished envoys to Haiti to make one final attempt to 
obtain a peaceful restoration of democracy in Haiti. I commend former 
President Carter, ex-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Colin 
Powell, and the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, 
Senator Nunn to Haiti for the exemplary way they handled those very 
difficult negotiations, and for their willingness to work up until the 
final moment to achieve success.
  The United States had a number of objectives in those final 
negotiations, but the two core objectives were: First, to meet our 
commitment to restoring democracy to Haiti, and, Second, to meet that 
commitment peacefully, if possible.
  All of us know how serious it is to put U.S. Forces at risk. No one 
wanted to see young American soldiers, sailors, or air force personnel 
wounded or killed.
  I am very pleased, therefore, that the Haitian dictators finally came 
to understand that the United States meant what it said, and that our 
commitment to democracy was a firm one.
  Like every American, I was relieved to see the television picture of 
the United States Forces going into Haiti peacefully. I commend the 
President of the United States for working up until the very last 
moment, even until after the first planes carrying our paratroopers had 
already taken off from their airbases, to see that an agreement 
providing for the peaceful restoration of democracy was reached.
  His leadership, and the extraordinary work of President Carter, 
General Powell, and Senator Nunn, led to this diplomatic triumph, and 
they deserve the country's thanks for their efforts on behalf of our 
Nation's interests.
  I am very grateful that our forces, that our young men and women, are 
entering Haiti peacefully. I am also very grateful to see that the 
initial results of our entry into Haiti are encouraging.
  We now have a plan in place for restoring democracy to Haiti. And, 
the presence of our forces in Port-Au-Prince, and soon, throughout the 
country, is already beginning to restore some sense of civil order for 
the vast majority of the population which is unarmed, and which has 
been terrorized for all too long.
  Until yesterday, ordinary Haitians thought their only chance was to 
leave their country, even if that meant taking the terrible risk of 
going to sea in very small boats and rafts. Now, that can begin to 
change.
  Until yesterday, restoration of democracy seemed like a far off dream 
to ordinary Haitians. Now, restoration of democracy and civil order is 
already beginning to take shape.
  It is true, of course, that there remains much to do in Haiti, and 
that the peaceful entry of our military forces into that country does 
not end our job.
  It is also true that the agreement negotiated by President Carter, 
General Powell, and Senator Nunn, has a number of points that will 
require future interpretation.
  However, I share the view of General Powell, who said when he 
returned from Haiti, that all of the details ``will be worked out in 
due course.''
  And, with our troops now on the ground, I am confident that the 
agreement will be interpreted and implemented in a manner fully 
consistent with the United States' view of that agreement.
  I also agree with General Powell's statement that we should:

       Not lose sight of the overall achievement. The U.N. 
     resolutions will be executed. President Aristide will return. 
     And we have the opportunity for a future of peace and 
     democracy in Haiti and superb relationship between our two 
     countries.

  General Powell is entirely correct. The agreement achieved on Sunday, 
and the peaceful entry of our forces into Haiti beginning on Monday, 
was a real achievement. It does open real opportunities, and it does 
enhance the prospects for the future success of our policies in Haiti.
  We can now begin to restore democracy, to restore civil order and the 
basic human rights of ordinary Haitians, and to make it possible for 
average Haitians to begin to think about a real future in their own 
country, rather than at sea in fragile rafts and boats.
  Finally, I want to say that the agreement reached over the weekend, 
and the subsequent peaceful actions by our military, represents a 
demonstration of the power that American values and American principles 
can have in the world.
  Last week, I said that:

       We have to stand for something, and we have to let the 
     world know that when we say something, we give our word, when 
     we make speeches and make pronouncements about the lofty 
     principles that we hold dear, that they are not just 
     conversation, that those principles have real meaning to us; 
     that we really do believe that democracy has a value; we 
     really do believe that human rights have a value * * * We 
     really do want to see to it that people can stay in their own 
     homes [without fear].
       And that is what we are demonstrating in Haiti, that we 
     have values in this country, and those values form the 
     bedrock foundation of our policy, both domestic and foreign.

  The President's diplomatic achievement is our Nation's achievement. 
We have once again renewed our commitment to the principles that make 
the United States so unique on the world stage. We have demonstrated 
that we mean what we say, and that we are prepared to act based on our 
principles and our core values.
  I believe our willingness to act on behalf of those principles, and 
on behalf of our own national interests was, in the final analysis, 
what made the agreement, and the subsequent peaceful entry of our 
military forces into Haiti to begin the process of restoring democracy, 
possible.
  I want to conclude by congratulating all of the young men and women 
in our Armed Forces participating in the Haiti mission for their skill, 
their dedication, and for the highly professional way in which they are 
conducting themselves.
  The next weeks and months will not be without risk for them. However, 
there is no doubt that what we are seeing in Haiti now is an American 
military that every single American can justifiably take pride in.
  I commend our forces, I again commend President Carter, General 
Powell, and Senator Nunn for their achievement, and I congratulate the 
President of the United States for his leadership.
  I strongly support an American foreign policy that is rooted in our 
own values. Indeed, I think that is the only kind of foreign policy 
this country can conduct. That is what we are seeing now in Haiti, and 
that is why we had to act in Haiti.

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