[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 20 (Wednesday, February 1, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1874-S1877]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
PRESIDENT ARISTIDE'S PROGRESS IN HAITI
Mr. DODD. Mr. President, on October 15, 1994, I was privileged to
join Secretary of State Warren Christopher and other United States
officials and congressional leaders in accompanying President Aristide
on his return to Haiti after more than 3 years in forced exile. Before
departing for Port-au-Prince, President Aristide pledged that upon his
return, his government would work for peace and reconciliation among
all sectors of Haitian society.
I believe that President Clinton has done a remarkable job in
fashioning a policy that has led to the restoration of the duly elected
President of Haiti. Special commendation must go to the men and women
in the United States Armed Forces who have been deployed in Haiti to
ensure a stable and peaceful climate within which the newly restored
civilian government may begin the difficult task of rebuilding Haiti.
Without the presence of these committed men and women, the dreams and
aspirations of the Haitian people to live in a democracy would stand no
hope of fulfillment.
More than 100 days have now passed since that historic day last
October. President Aristide has kept his commitment to work for peace
and reconciliation among all Haitians. I believe that he has made
significant progress in the areas of governance, security, economic
reconstruction, and meeting the basic needs of the Haitian people.
Obviously much remains to be done.
The Embassy of Haiti has prepared a detailed report on the measures
taken by the Haitian Government during the first 100 days of the
restoration of democracy. I ask unanimous consent that report be
printed in the Record at the conclusion of my remarks.
There being no objection, the report was ordered to be printed in the
Record, as follows:
Haiti Since the Restoration of Democracy: One Hundred Days of Progress
``The Government and people of Haiti take pride in the
achievements of the last one
[[Page S1875]] hundred days. However, our struggle is far
from over and so we continue to strive within every
geographic area, and within every ministry, to make secure
the foundations of a lasting, stable democracy.
``We are grateful for the U.S.-led multinational effort in
support of Haitian democracy, and not only welcome the
opportunities for cooperation and partnership with the
world's democracies that the past four months have made
possible, but are committed to expand and build upon
them.''--President Jean Bertrand Aristide
introduction
President Jean Bertrand Aristide's return to Haiti on
October 15, 1994 was the culmination of an historic
international effort to end a brutal military dictatorship
that had:
(i) ousted Haiti's first democratically elected President
three years earlier;
(ii) executed summarily 5,000 civilians;
(iii) dislocated 350,000 Haitians, forcing them into hiding
within their own country;
(iv) caused some 48,000 Haitians to take to the high seas
in an attempt to escape the imprisonment, torture, rapes, and
murder that Haiti's coup regime was meting out to members of
Haiti's pro-democracy community;
(v) created a massive Haitian refugee crisis for the United
States and other countries of the region;
(vi) accelerated the economic and environmental degradation
of Haiti, reversing the progress achieved during Haiti's
first democratic administration in 1991;
(vii) increased drug-related criminal activity within the
United States by permitting Haiti to be used as a drug
transshipment point for illegal narcotics destined to the
United States from South America; and
(viii) threatened to undermine, by way of example, the
viability of other fledgling democracies throughout the
hemisphere;
In the first 100 days since President Aristide has been
reinstated as his country's democratically elected President,
the Government and people of Haiti have moved with single-
minded determination to assure Haiti a firm foothold in the
world community of democratic, free-market nations.
Perhaps most impressive, as noted by U.S. officials,
leading members of Haiti's business community, and the
international press, has been President Aristide's ability to
bridge Haiti's profound social tensions by reaching out to
all Haitians, in a spirit of reconciliation and non-violence,
to create a new Haiti.
President Aristide has demonstrated himself to be a
skilled, committed democrat, working with respect for
constitutional limits and mandates of Haiti's Presidency and
other governmental institutions, and has built a coalition
government that promotes and encourages open dialogue with
all sectors of Haitian society.
Listed below are some of the achievements of the 100-day
old ``second'' Aristide administration. To place the efforts
and successes of Haiti's constitutional government in proper
context, however, it is important to note that upon their
return, President Aristide and other members of Haiti's
democratically elected government were not only faced with a
country whose social and economic development had been
thoroughly undermined by the coup regime, but with government
ministries and a National Palace that had been pillaged and
gutted of equipment, furniture, wiring and supplies (down to
paper and pencils) by the departing de facto ``government'',
in order to thrust the returning government into a totally
inhospitable, unmanageable administrative environment.
impact of the restoration of democracy
Refugees
Haitian refugees have stopped fleeing Haiti due to the
constitutional government's respect for human rights;
As a result, ``the Haitian refugee crisis'' no longer
preoccupies the American public, the American media, and U.S.
policy-makers;
Some 16,000 Haitian refugees being held at the U.S. Naval
Base at Guantanamo, Cuba, who:
(i) had refused to return to Haiti while it was under
military dictatorship, and
(ii) were seeking refugee status within the United States
or other regional countries,
have returned to Haiti voluntarily;
As was the case after Haiti's first democratic elections in
1990, Haitian teachers, health/legal/other professionals who
had long been legal residents in Canada, the United States,
France and elsewhere, have begun returning to Haiti to make
their contributions to the rebuilding of their country;
Democratic reform and governance
The UN/OAS Human Rights Observer Mission, expelled by the
military dictatorship in 1994, has returned to Haiti;
The Government of Haiti is working with the United Nations,
the Organization of American States, and bilateral donors to
develop mechanisms and systems to facilitate broad-based
awareness of the importance
of adhering to internationally accepted human rights
standards in the building of a new Haiti;
Repeated, impassioned, and sustained calls for
reconciliation by President Aristide have been accepted by
his followers. Haitians, upon identifying those who
brutalized them during military dictatorship, turn these
individuals over to members of the Multinational Force--and
in some cases, even to the foreign press--rather than taking
``justice'' into their own hands;
The strength and lasting power of his message was most
recently demonstrated on January 12, when Haitian civilians
in Gonaives chased, apprehended, and then turned over to the
multinational force a former Haitian military officer
attempting to escape after an attack on U.S. servicemen that
left one U.S. soldier dead and another wounded;
The Haitian Government's emphasis on consultation,
inclusion and reconciliation has been demonstrated
repeatedly, as in:
(a) President Aristide's exhaustive and cordial
consultations with at least 16 political parties--almost
immediately upon his return--to establish dialogue on issues
of concern and to stress the importance to the nation of
parliamentary elections taking place at the earliest possible
opportunity, and
(b) the extensive discussions he entered into across
Haiti's leadership spectrum prior to selecting Smarck Michel,
a prominent 51-year old Haitian businessman, as Prime
Minister;
Prime Minister Smarck Michel's unanimous confirmation by
Haiti's multiparty parliament, and the subsequent
installation of Mr. Michel's ministerial cabinet on November
6, 1994 formalized the establishment of the official, legal
framework within which democratic, constitutional governance
in Haiti can go forward. (See Attachment A for a complete
list of all Government Ministers);
Immediately upon his return, President Aristide began
stressing to the Haitian people and Parliament the importance
of the upcoming parliamentary elections. In order to expedite
this, a Provisional Electoral Council (representing the three
branches of government) has been established, an electoral
law has been submitted to Parliament, and a mid-April
election date targeted.
Within a month of his return, President Aristide invited
400 Haitian business leaders to the National Palace, among
them individuals who had opposed his return and supported the
coup. He included several of these in his official delegation
to the Summit of the Americas and named them to the
Presidential Commission on Business Modernization and
Economic Growth.
At the end of 1994, Time assessed President Aristide's
reconciliation efforts thus: ``(Aristide) is a man whom
experience has imbued with wisdom, a new found respect for
dialogue and a deft skill for the politics of pragmatism.''
Economic revitalization
In keeping with his commitment to modernize the Haitian
business sector, promote economic development, and reinforce
the government's interest in expanding economic and business
links with the rest of the region, in general, and the United
States, in particular, President Aristide, in December 1994,
established a high-level Commission on Economic Growth and
Modernization, headed by prominent Haitian businessman and
President of the Haitian Industrial Association, Jean Edouard
Baker.
The Commission, comprised of 25 Haitians representing a
broad cross-section of Haiti's business leadership as well as
those Cabinet ministers responsible for economic
reconstruction, was represented by a 6-person delegation to
Washington in mid-January for talks with the Administration
and the Congress. These talks focussed on the policies and
programs implemented by the Government of Haiti to stabilize
the economy and facilitate the workings of a free-market
system.
This delegation also stressed to U.S. policy-makers that
there is now a historic opportunity for Haiti to be
permanently transformed--provided the international community
maintains its security and human rights observer presence,
and keeps its commitment to provide technical and financial
support;
In response to the free-market policies of the government,
some 35 plants in the assembly export sector which ceased
production during the political and economic crisis of the
past three years have reopened;
The macro-economic plan presented by the Aristide
government to the international community prior to the 1991
coup won multilateral economic pledges in excess of $500
million. However, the three year military dictatorship caused
multilateral donors to withhold this much-needed injection of
capital from the Haitian economy. The re-submission of its
macroeconomic plan by the ``second'' Aristide administration
has again won the support of multilateral community, and
Haiti expects pledges in excess of $1 billion over the next 5
years;
The resumption of multilateral economic support to Haiti
was contingent upon the country's arrears, (resulting from
the coup regime's refusal to make payments on Haiti's
international debt), being cleared. Thanks to the joint
efforts of the international community and the Government of
Haiti, these arrears were cleared in December 1994, thereby
removing one of the impediments to the timely flow of the
support pledged by the international community;
There are well-established channels of communication and a
strong spirit of cooperation between the Government of Haiti
and the Haitian business community, born of the realization
on both sides that (i) business, (ii) labor, and (iii)
democratic, stable government are all crucial, indispensable,
and interdependent components of any modern state;
[[Page S1876]] President Aristide has announced a package
of special incentives to attract foreign investment to Haiti.
These include a reduction in telephone, electricity and
customs fees; a dramatic reduction in tariffs on most
imported items, except sensitive agricultural commodities;
and tax incentives for businesses that return to Haiti by
July 1, 1995;
At the end of January, Haiti will formally announce to the
international financial community its plan for economic
development and its projected assistance needs. The plan
embraces solid fiscal discipline, open investment and trade
policies including a reduction in tariffs, elimination of
non-tariff barriers, the modernization of commercial and
investment codes, and the streamlining of import/export
procedures;
The Aristide government is also implementing economic
policies geared at sustaining economic growth, reducing the
public sector deficit, streamlining and professionalizing the
civil service, and eliminating currency exchange and interest
rate controls;
In order to maximize competition and facilitate the
efficient functioning of the Haitian economy, the Government
of Haiti has retained the services of the International
Financial Corporation to review the condition of state-owned
enterprises, and is in the final stages of establishing a
tripartite commission on labor-management
relations. This commission will facilitate greater
communication and cooperation between labor, management
and government to the overall benefit of the Haitian
economy and the Haitian people;
In December 1994, the Governments of the United States and
Haiti signed an agreement aimed at revitalizing the Haitian
economy via improvements in telecommunications, energy and
transportation;
The Haitian Ministry of Finance and the U.S. Department of
Commerce agree to establish a joint Business Development
Council;
Haiti's ports have re-opened.
Military, police, and judicial reform
A law was submitted by the Aristide administration to
Haiti's parliament to create a civilian-controlled police
force separate from the military, as mandated by Haiti's
constitution. Haiti's police and military had long been
indistinguishable from each other and the source of much
repression in Haiti. The law was debated and ratified by the
Parliament, and the creation of the new police force under
the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice is now underway;
One thousand former refuges at the U.S. Naval Base at
Guantanamo have been recruited as members of the interim
police force, as have 3,000 former members of the Haitian
military who were screened for human rights abuses;
The Haitian army, originally estimated at 7,000, has been
demobilized and will be reconstituted at a level of 1,500,
with the salaries of the demobilized soldiers going to the
Ministries of Health, Public Works and Agriculture. In
addition, these soldiers are being encouraged by the
government to apply for positions within these ministries, in
order to begin new, constructive careers. A commission,
headed by Minister of Defense Wilthan Lherisson, has been
charged with establishing--in conjunction with U.S.
advisers--a plan for the army's reorganization. (The
downsizing of the Haitian army to 1,500 was an important
component of the Haitian government's marcro-economic plan
which won the support of multilateral donors in Paris last
August).
The new Police Academy is scheduled to open within the next
few weeks and trainees, recruited from Haiti's nine
(regional) departments, will be selected from a pool of
25,000 applicants. A commission under the authority of the
Ministry of Justice has been created to develop the
organizational structure and regulations for the new National
Police Force.
Haiti's notorious ``section chiefs'', long identified by
human rights observers and the people of Haiti as key
instruments of rural repression in Haiti, were aggressively
supported by the military dictatorship. They have now been
outlawed and the constitutional government is, instead,
establishing in the rural areas local, legitimate justices of
the peace.
Demilitarization of Port-au-Prince
Haiti's Army Headquarters, traditionally situated next to
the Presidential palace, is now the site of Haiti's Ministry
of Women's Affairs.
The Port-au-Prince police station is now controlled by the
interim police force, under the jurisdiction of the ministry
of justice.
Accounting for human rights abuses during military dictatorship
An independent Truth Commission has been established
by Presidential decree in an attempt to acknowledge,
investigate, and provide a full accounting of the
brutality that characterized Haiti's 1991-1994 military
dictatorship. This is part of an effort to put an end to
Haiti's history of impunity and allow for the
establishment of the rule of law in the pursuit of
political, economic, and social stability;
The Government of Haiti has retained the services of
Haitian lawyers to pursue claims arising from the most
notorious cases of human rights abuses during the coup
period.
Public works
The Government of Haiti, in conjunction with international
donors, has created 5 thousand road repair jobs, thereby
upgrading areas of Haiti's physical infrastructure that were
seriously neglected during the three-year military
dictatorship;
Haiti's main airport in Port-au-Prince is being renovated
to accommodate the increased traffic that (i) has resulted
from the restoration of democracy, and (ii) is expected from
Haiti's pursuit of expanded economic and other links with the
region in general and the United States in particular;
Social infrastructure
Education, neglected by the coup regime, is once again
being stressed by the constitutional government as a crucial
component of Haiti's political, economic, and social
stability. With the restoration of democracy came the re-
opening of schools, the establishment of a State Secretariat
for Literacy, and the distribution of $3 million in school
supplies;
The government, with the assistance of international
agencies, initiated in November 1994 a massive vaccination
campaign. To date some 520,000 children have been vaccinated
and the government plans to have 3 million children similarly
protected by summer 1995;
President Aristide has pledged to open at least one new
school and one new clinic in each of Haiti's 500 districts by
the end of his term in February 1996;
A Ministry for the Environment has been created to address
the serious ecological challenges facing the people of Haiti.
remaining challenges
The return of constitutional government to Haiti on October
15, 1994 celebrated a commonality of purpose among the
world's democracies. It also raised serious questions
regarding the climate of impunity which aspiring despots in
the region had begun to assume they could take for granted.
For this the people of Haiti are most grateful. However, in
the midst of its efforts to secure the achievements
summarized in this paper, Haiti's newly reinstated
constitutional government has had to face a number of
challenges.
No sooner had constitutional government been restored to
Haiti than Hurricane Gordon hit, causing over 1,000 deaths
and extensive damage to infrastructure. Indeed, the United
Nations Development Program reports that 1.5 million Haitians
were hurt and/or lost property. Thanks to the presence of the
Multinational Force in general and U.S. troops in particular,
however, the Government and people had a ready source of
logistical and material support which helped alleviate the
impact of the crisis.
Less benign in its origins but just as deadly in its
impact, however, was the placement--one month after the
return of constitutional government--of an explosive device
at a power generator upon which most of Port-au-Prince
depends for
electricity. This development has sorely taxed the Haitian
government as it attempts to stabilize the country,
encourage domestic investment, and attract foreign
investment. However, the determination of the government
and the people of Haiti to build a stable and secure
nation, acts such as this notwithstanding, remains
unshakable.
Regarding the partnership between the government of Haiti
and the international community, it is clear that the
presence of the Multinational Force has been a dramatic
demonstration of the commitment of the world community to
democracy in Haiti, and this has enabled the Government of
Haiti to move forward with many of the policies and programs
outlined in this report. It is the hope of the Government of
Haiti, however, that the international community will soon be
able to make available the economic support so generously
pledged prior to the return of constitutional government in
October 1994, since it has long been stressed by both the
donor community and the constitutional Government of Haiti
that this support is an indispensable counterpart to the
essential and fully appreciated multilateral military
presence now in Haiti.
To the extent that the bottlenecks and administrative
delays that have slowed the actual provision of economic
support (as opposed to pledges) can be corrected, then
Haiti's entry into the world community of stable democratic
nations would be greatly expedited and the positive impact of
the multilateral military presence would be permanently
secured.
Haitians from all classes will attest to the unifying
influence of President Aristide, who has encouraged patience
and perseverance in the face of the significant difference
between the economic support that was long ago promised, (as
a complement to the multinational troop presence), and what
has, to date, been forthcoming.
Nonetheless, the Government continues to pursue as top
priorities:
The holding of free and fair parliamentary elections at the
earliest possible date;
The strengthening of the institutions of democracy and the
promotion of respect for the rule of law;
Expanding links between U.S. and Haitian businesses,
building upon:
(i) Haiti's geographic proximity to the United States,
(ii) The long history of U.S./Haiti business relations,
(iii) The heightened degree of cooperation and
collaboration between the peoples of both nations afforded by
the U.S.-led effort to restore democracy,
(iv) The energy that has long characterized Haiti's private
sector leadership and the dependability of Haiti's labor
force, and
[[Page S1877]] In keeping with President Aristide's
emphasis on the importance of national reconciliation to
Haiti's future, the Government of Haiti remains committed to
disarmament.
Jean Edouard Baker, President of the Industrial Association
of Haiti, during a recent visit to Washington stressed to
U.S. policy makers that there is now a historic opportunity
for Haiti to be permanently transformed--``provided the
international community maintains its security and human
rights observer presence as originally negotiated, and keeps
its commitment to provide financial and technical support
during this crucial transition period.''
The Government of Haiti shares this assessment and will
continue to work with its friends in the international
community to ensure that this historic moment yields its full
potential.
Attachment A
cabinet of Prime Minister Smarck Michel
Foreign Affairs & Culture: Mrs. Claudette Werleigh.
Defense: Gen. Wilthan Lherisson.
Interior: Mr. Rene Prosper.
Finances & Economic Affairs: Mrs. Marie-Michele Rey.
Justice: Jean Joseph Exume, Esq.
Commerce & Industry: Mr. Maurice LaFortune.
Planning & External Cooperation: Mr. Jean-Marie Cherestal.
Health & Population: Mr. Jean Moliere.
Agriculture, Natural Resources & Rural Development: Mr.
Francois Severin.
Public Administration & Government Personnel: Mr. Anthony
Barbier.
Public Works, Transportation, & Communications: Mr. Georges
Anglade.
Information: Mr. Henri Claude Menard.
Culture: Mr. Jean-Claude Bajeux.
National Education: Mr. Emmanuel Buteau.
Social Affairs: Mr. Enold Joseph.
Women Affairs & Women's Rights: Mrs. Lise-Marie Dejean.
Expatriated Haitian Nationals: Mr. Fritz Casseus.
Environment: Mr. Anthony Verdier.
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