[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 20 (Tuesday, February 24, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H539-H540]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HAITI
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee) is recognized for 5 minutes.
Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to ask the Bush administration
why in the world our country appears to be allowing a violent coup
d'etat to occur in Haiti. Through a wink and a nod, our administration
is allowing this violence to occur, and we must not stand for it.
The democratically elected President of Haiti could be overthrown any
minute. At risk, of course, is the safety of over 8 million lives in
Haiti. We cannot play politics with rebels and with thugs. They are
trying to change their government through the use of force, not by
democratic elections. We do not allow coups to take place in the United
States, and we should uphold that standard for neighboring countries,
neighboring democracies, especially one in our own hemisphere.
Throughout Haiti's 200 years of independence, it has experienced 32
coups, but it seemed that the tragic cycle ended in 1991 with President
Aristide's first Presidential victory. After a coup, the United States
helped restore then-exiled President Aristide in 1996, and later he ran
and was reelected in the fall of 2001. Tonight as we speak, President
Aristide is warding off yet another coup attempt and a potential civil
war, and democracy is under fire again in Haiti.
Two weeks ago now I wrote to Secretary Powell and asked the following
questions:
One: Does the State Department support the democratically elected
Government of Haiti? What practical steps is our government taking to
support the democratic process?
Two: Is our country supporting and sanctioning an overthrow of the
Aristide government by giving a wink and a nod to the opposition? There
are also reports that we are covertly funding the opposition.
Third: Is it true that the Haitian opposition parties and leaders
have received USAID funding?
Fourth: We understand the Haitian Government made several requests
over the last 2 years for equipment and training of Haiti's police
force. Why were these requests never responded to?
Secretary Powell said, and I quote, ``We cannot allow thugs and
murderers to overthrow the democratically elected government of
President Jean-Bertrand Aristide,'' but now there appears to be a major
disconnect between
[[Page H540]]
the Bush administration's words and actions. Their rhetoric says one
thing, and their actions say something else.
This Friday, prior to the international diplomatic team traveling to
Haiti, members of the Congressional Black Caucus asked the
administration to act immediately and prevent the rebels from taking
over more cities in Haiti. We are awaiting a response to both of these
letters.
We are working to protect democracy in Haiti day and night, but
unfortunately people in Haiti are still dying as a result of rebel
attacks, hunger and the like. The ongoing negotiations to broker a
peace plan are failing, and it is not at all a result of President
Aristide. President Aristide has shown good faith by accepting the
Catholic bishops' plan, the CARICOM plan and now this peace plan.
Haiti is embroiled in violence. Armed rebels are burning down jails
and pillaging villages, toting M-16s and M-50s. Haiti only has 3,500
police for over 8 million people. It is only common sense that
disarming thugs and murderers and forging a cease-fire go hand in hand.
{time} 2045
The United States cannot sit back and watch a country especially in
our own hemisphere spiral further down into a state of turmoil. Bush
must show some leadership and speak out against the violence and the
disregard for the rule of law in Haiti. President Bush should speak out
in support of the democratically elected President of Haiti and provide
President Aristide the assistance that he needs to promote peace on the
ground, allow free and fair elections to take place, and to uphold the
Haitian constitution.
How can we sit back and witness a violent attempt to overthrow a
government? Is this part of the Bush administration's regime change
policy?
Democracy in Haiti is in grave danger. Turmoil rages on the ground,
in the streets, at the university, through the halls of government, and
in the homes of Haitians. Haitians are dying, and it is apparent that
the hope for peace is diminishing.
If we believe, if we truly believe in the power of democracy and the
potential for global peace, we must not turn a blind eye to our
neighbor and long-time ally. This is an urgent cry to our
administration, specifically President Bush, to formally request a
meeting of the United States Security Council with the hope of bringing
the world community's resources to bear in support of the government of
Haiti.
The United States must stop dragging its feet and answer the call
President Aristide made again yesterday. He said, ``Should those
killers come to Port-au-Prince, you may have thousands of people who
may be killed.'' We need the presence of the international community as
soon as possible.
Congress of the United States,
House of Representatives,
Washington, DC, February 20, 2004.
President George Bush,
The White House,
Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. President: Thank you for your Administration's new
initiative to resolve the current political crisis in Haiti.
The Congressional Black Caucus agrees that we cannot allow
``thugs'' and ``murderers'' to overthrow the democratically-
elected government of President Jean Betrand Aristide, as
Secretary Powell stated on February 17, 2004. Additionally,
we are pleased that the United States, France, Canada,
CARICOM, and the OAS will meet with the Government of Haiti
to discuss how we can work together to secure the country,
stop the escalating violence, restore the rule of law, and
take steps forward to implement the CARICOM proposal.
There must be an immediate cease-fire, and as these talks
move forward, we hope that the United States insists that all
parties lay down their arms and stop the violence. Haitians
are dying every day, and the United States must do its part
to guarantee a cease-fire, uphold democracy, and promote
stability in a sovereign nation in our own hemisphere.
Members of the Congressional Black Caucus agree that these
emergency talks will be critical to ending the current
violence.
We respectfully encourage you to invite experienced,
independent observers to travel to Haiti to monitor and
observe the meeting. Thank you for your attention to this
urgent matter. We look forward to working with you to help
resolve this crisis.
Sincerely,
Barbara Lee; John Conyers, Jr.; Donald M. Payne; Bobby L.
Rush; Sheila Jackson-Lee; Elijah E. Cummings; Maxine
Waters; ------; Diane E. Watson; Gregory W. Meeks.
______
Congress of the United States,
House of Representatives,
Washington, DC, February 12, 2004.
Hon. Colin Powell,
Secretary of State,
Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Secretary: Thank you for coming to the House
International Resources Committee today. While we ran out of
time before I could raise my questions in committee, I
enjoyed speaking to you afterwards.
As you know, conditions in Haiti are rapidly deteriorating.
People are dying, and our own commitment to democracy is
under siege. We have a moral and regional obligation to help
one of our closest neighbors. Furthermore, Article 17 of the
OAS Inter-American Democratic Chapter requires that all OAS
nations come to the aid of a democratic government under
siege.
I must say, Mr. Secretary, that our failure to support the
democratic process and help restore order looks like a covert
effort to overthrow a government. There is a violent coup
d'etat in the making, and it appears that the United States
is aiding and abetting the attempt to violently topple the
Aristide Government. With all due respect, this looks like
``regime change.''
This situation demands sustained U.S. engagement to promote
democracy, yet disturbing reports indicate our actions--or
inaction--may be making things worse. The opposition is well-
funded and well-armed, even though President Aristide's pleas
for resources to better train police forces have fallen on
deaf ears. Yet, State Department officials have implied that
President Aristide's departure could be an option in solving
the current crisis. How can we call for democracy in Iraq and
not say very clearly that we support democratic elections as
the only option in Haiti?
Since I did not have the opportunity to raise the following
questions in committee, I would appreciate it if you could
provide a written reply so that I might have a better
understanding of Administration policy toward Haiti:
1. Does the State Department support the democratically-
elected government of Haiti? What practical steps is our
government taking to support the democratic process?
2. Is our country supporting and sanctioning an overthrow
of the Aristide Government by giving a wink and a nod to the
opposition? There are also reports that we are covertly
funding the opposition.
3. Does the United States support the CARICOM proposal, and
will we work through the OAS to broker a peaceful solution,
not an overthrow of the Aristide Government?
4. Is it true that Haitian opposition parties and leaders
have received USAID funding?
5. We understand the Haitian government made several
requests over the last two years for equipment and training
of Haiti's police force. Why were these requests never
responded to?
Thank you for your attention,
Barbara Lee,
Member of Congress.
____________________