[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 21 (Wednesday, February 25, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H627-H628]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  NOW IS THE TIME FOR ACTION IN HAITI

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Owens) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. OWENS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to join my colleagues in this 
vital discussion on Haiti. I want to first pay tribute, proper tribute 
to the people who are on the Haitian Task Force who have kept the 
caucus position going. The gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers), the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee), the gentlewoman from California 
(Ms. Waters), and a few others have established a firm record of 
negotiations and letter-writing and they have allowed us to make a 
paper trail and a record of consideration and compromise that brings us 
to the point where we are today, and all that has been done, and now it 
is time for action.

                              {time}  2100

  Today, we decided to take action after being frustrated in numerous 
meetings where nothing was accomplished. We asked for a meeting with 
the President of the United States. We asked for a meeting with the 
President of the United States, and I stand here as a member of the 
Congressional Black Caucus who must admit I was more surprised than 
anybody else that we finally got the meeting with the President of the 
United States. It took some drama. We were sitting there talking to two 
of the President's representatives for an hour before finally he agreed 
to meet with us, and I will not go into all of that. I will not also go 
into the background of what is happening presently in Haiti 
unnecessarily.
  I have two items I will submit for the Record at this point. One is a 
press release that I issued today, February 25, and also a letter to 
Colin Powell which I sent on February 19.

  Owens Pleads for French Emergency Action to Save Democracy in Haiti

       In response to the dangerous escalation of the violence 
     driven by a thug army in Haiti Congressman Major Owens 
     offered the following motion at a Wednesday (February 25th) 
     meeting of the Congressional Black Caucus: ``To halt the 
     escalating violence and the possible assassination of 
     democracy in Haiti all of the members of the Congressional 
     Black Caucus should immediately go to the French Embassy in 
     Washington to plead for the dispatch of French forces to 
     protect the government and the democratically elected 
     President of Haiti.''
       ``This White House and its agents are like Pontius Pilate 
     pretending to wash their hands while the democratic nation of 
     Haiti is assassinated,'' proclaimed Owens in a speech on the 
     floor of the House of Representatives on February 24, 2004.
       The Congressman from Brooklyn, which has a large community 
     of Haitian Americans further charged: ``At least one former 
     CIA asset has been identified as a leader of the band of 
     savage guerrillas. The people of the United States must turn 
     their backs on this conspiracy and demand that the democratic 
     nation of Haiti, the democratic government, the duly-elected 
     President of Haiti be supported by the United States 
     Government and that Aristide be allowed to serve out his next 
     2 years without any compromise with bands of thugs in the 
     street.''
       In a letter sent last week to Secretary of State, Colin 
     Powell, Owens insisted that: ``History will hold the United 
     States accountable for the situation in Haiti! Years of

[[Page H628]]

     hostile U.S. policy with regard to Haiti has brought about 
     the current political crisis and deteriorating economic and 
     social conditions there.''
       The Congressman, who from 1991 to 1995, served as Chairman 
     of the CBC Task Force on Haiti, is applauding other current 
     actions being taken by the CBC: A demand for a meeting with 
     President Bush; a CBC Delegation trip on Haiti on Friday, 
     February 27th; a demand for a second meeting with CIA and 
     U.S. State Department representatives; and united actions 
     with students and other Haitian support groups.
                                  ____



                                     House of Representatives,

                                Washington, DC, February 19, 2004.
     Hon. Colin Powell,
     Secretary of State, Department of State, Washington, DC.
       Dear Secretary Powell: I am disturbed by the failure of 
     your office to take immediate steps to stop the mass murder 
     in Haiti. Haiti is on the brink of civil war and the Bush 
     Administration stands in the shadows waiting for the 
     destruction of Aristide.
       I call on you and the Bush Administration to take immediate 
     steps to defend the democratically elected government of 
     Haiti. Advisory from the United States must be dispatched at 
     once to reinforce the police in Haiti and restore law and 
     order.
       History will hold the United States accountable for the 
     situation in Haiti! Years of hostile U.S. policy with regard 
     to Haiti has brought about the current political crisis and 
     deteriorating economic and social conditions there. In 
     addition to placing an economic stranglehold on Haiti the 
     Bush Administration has emboldened the political opposition 
     in its quest to topple the democratically elected President 
     of Haiti. President Aristide must be allowed to serve out the 
     remainder of his term without interference from the United 
     States. There must be no regime change in Haiti! President 
     Aristide was democratically elected by the people of Haiti 
     and the United States is obligated to respect the will of the 
     Haitian people.
       The United States and the international community must act 
     in collaboration to resolve the political impasse in Haiti. 
     The United Nations must begin meeting immediately in order to 
     prepare for a long-term peaceful resolution to Haiti's 
     political and economic situation. Immediate action must begin 
     now to avert more violence and mass exodus of Haitians. The 
     French are considering sending peacekeepers and the Canadians 
     have offered nearly $1 million in medical and food aid. The 
     United States can not shirk its responsibility to the Haitian 
     people. The U.S. must cooperate with the international 
     community to restore law and order and provide humanitarian 
     aid to Haiti now! Your lack of resolve in discouraging 
     anarchy and restoring democracy in Haiti is unconscionable.
       What is the Administration waiting for? How many more 
     Haitians must die before the international community led by 
     the United States takes the necessary steps to guarantee the 
     maintenance of democracy in Haiti. Send police advisors to 
     restore democracy in Haiti now!
                                                   Major R. Owens,
                                               Member of Congress.

  The important thing is why are we so reluctant to protect the 
democratically elected government of Jean-Bertrand Aristide in Haiti? 
What has Aristide done wrong? Why do we continually hear that Aristide 
is no better than the thugs and killers and drug dealers who are 
opposed to him? Why do we continually hear that he is to blame? What 
are the charges against Jean-Bertrand Aristide? Does he build palaces 
like Saddam Hussein all over the place using the money of the taxpayers 
of Haiti in a profligate manner? Is he himself in some way a debaucher? 
Has he traveled around the world and shopped and spent the money of his 
government? What are the charges against Jean-Bertrand Aristide? Why is 
he considered to be equal with the thugs and the drug dealers and 
killers who are now forming the opposition against him?
  The truth of the matter is Jean-Bertrand Aristide was elected by the 
people of Haiti not once, but twice. They seem to lose sight of the 
chronology. Aristide was elected in 1991. The Army of Haiti deposed 
him. He was driven out of the country. He spent a large amount of time 
here in Washington in an apartment while he was exiled.
  We finally convinced President Clinton to use armed intervention to 
restore the Government of Haiti. Aristide went back to Haiti, and 
although he had spent 3 years away from his government and had only 2 
remaining, our government says, well, you ought to just only serve out 
your remaining 2 years, do not stay any longer. He complied with that. 
This is a man who is not obstinate or stubborn. He complied. He stepped 
down after 2 years, and another President took over, Mr. Preval, for 5 
years, and then Aristide was reelected overwhelmingly after Mr. Preval 
had finished his 5 years.
  Now we have an orderly transition in Haiti for the first time in 
history, orderly transition under the Constitution of Haiti. What is 
Aristide guilty of? If he has obeyed, like George Washington as a 
leader, very popular, he could have gotten a mandate from the people to 
stay in for life and all these kinds of things dictators do. He has not 
done that. We have not accused Aristide of having weapons of mass 
destruction. So why are we equating Aristide with the opposition, a 
band of rebels and violent people who want to overthrow the government 
that is duly elected?
  I tell you why. There is a band of families, some say 6, some say 10, 
a band of rich families who have run Haiti the last 100 years. The rich 
have always been able to pick the governments. They have always been 
able to control the governments through the army. Aristide disbanded 
the army, and he cannot be thrown out by an army. So they have thugs 
and killers and drug dealers organized to throw out Aristide so they 
can work their will on the people.
  Aristide is a great man. He should not be left to a fate of 
assassination. Our government should act to protect this democratically 
elected Government of Haiti.

                          ____________________