[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 119 (Wednesday, September 4, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H9985]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         DEVELOPMENTS IN HAITI

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Florida [Mr. Goss] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GOSS. Mr. Speaker, it has been a hectic August recess this year, 
Mr. Speaker, so as we return I want to take a moment to make my 
colleagues aware of some of the recent disturbing developments in 
Haiti.
  It would be very easy indeed to miss these things because no one--
neither the media nor the White House--seems interested in making a 
concerted effort to analyze what is going on in that small Caribbean 
nation. Although, behind the scenes we understand that Haiti is hosting 
a high level cast of characters from the administration--National 
Security Advisor Anthony Lake, Joe Sullivan from the Haiti Working 
Group, Janet Reno our Attorney General, General Sheehan of the Atlantic 
Command and even Strobe Talbot himself. With them, we understand, goes 
an additional $10 million for the beleaguered Haitian National Police 
Force--we are certainly all anxious to know which account it came from.
  Then there is another gift for the national police in the form of a 
contingent of Marines who went last week for yet another training 
mission--this time protecting the U.S. Embassy in Haiti. We can almost 
certainly expect to see more of these training exercises--muscle-
flexing, if you will--for the next few months.
  What specifically are my colleagues and I so concerned about? The few 
reports we have seen in recent weeks tell a tale of assassination 
plots, political killings, threats against the Haitian media community, 
and general civil unrest. On August 19, 20 men, suspected to be members 
of Haiti's disbanded military, attacked the National Palace and police 
headquarters in Port-au-Prince. One report in the Washington Times said 
that the attackers ``nearly overran police headquarters.''

  There are strong suggestions that the right may be once again 
formalizing its structure and that the left may be involved in payback 
killings against those who ran Haiti during the Cedras era.
  In fact, Evans Paul, once mayor of Port-au-Prince and respected head 
of the FNCD Party in Haiti, publicly issued an accusation on August 22 
that the government of Rene Preval is responsible for the 
assassinations of right-leaning Minister Antoine Leroy and Paul 
Florival in Port-au-Prince August 20. He made the bold--and dangerous 
statement--that in practice ``There are no differences between the 
Lavalas group and the `Macoutes' '' Because both use the same methods. 
We only hope that Mr. Paul won't pay for exercising his freedom to 
speak with his life.
  Finally, in recent days, we have seen allegations that members of the 
National Palace Security Force have been involved in criminal 
activities.
  Mr. Speaker, clearly something is seriously wrong in Haiti. When, can 
we ask, will the White House come clean, stop glossing over the rough 
spots, stop calling this a success, and put some meat on the bones of 
this anemic effort. After spending $3 billion in taxpayers' money, the 
American people and the American Congress expect and demand better.

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