[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 76 (Thursday, June 9, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1199-E1200]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     THE CURRENT SITUATION IN HAITI

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                  in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, June 9, 2005

  Mr. RANGEL.  Mr. Speaker, I rise to make note of the distressing 
developments unfolding in Haiti. The situation in that country is 
becoming increasingly unstable, with elections scheduled to take place 
a few months from now. The current state of Haiti does not bode well 
for a peaceful and legitimized election process.
  A June 9th article in the Miami Herald entitled ``Senior U.S. 
official visits unsettled Haiti'' points out that the ongoing 
instability is causing widespread discontentment with the interim 
government led by Prime Minister Gerard Latortue. The lack of 
confidence is even being voiced by respected and influential members of 
Haitian society, such as Ariel Henry, a member of the U.N. sanctioned 
``Council of Wisemen'' which nominated Latortue to head the interim 
government.
  Mr. Henry has gone so far as to call the governmental performance of 
the country a failure, and has warned that the Council of Elders may 
call for Latortue's resignation if some semblance of stability is not 
achieved soon.
  It has been over a year since the forced removal of President Jean-
Bertrand Aristide, the nation's democratically elected leader. Without 
question, conditions in the country are worse since Aristide's removal 
due to the widespread violence and human-rights violations perpetrated 
by the lawless elements which overthrew the Aristide government.
  Indeed, 700 people have died in less than a year in Haiti. The 
violence is escalating to such a level that the U.S. State Department's 
top official for the Americas, Roger Noriega, arranged a last-minute 
visit this week to assess the situation. Secretary of State Rice 
herself labeled the developments in Haiti ``troubling'' on Monday, and 
called for close examination of the strength of the country's U.N. 
force.
  On the election front, all is not well. The nation's electoral 
council is stricken by internal strife and wrangling. A campaign to 
register up to 4.5 million eligible voters has signed up only 113,000 
in a month and a half. The only party with wide support among Haiti's 
impoverished majority is the Lavalas Party of former President Jean-
Bertrand Aristide. Still angered by his removal, the party has so far 
refused to participate in the upcoming election.
  All this presents a very troubling picture for Haiti. In the short-
term the U.N. force must be increased. In addition, all the 
stakeholders involved must take a long and hard look at whether the 
scheduled date for Haitian elections is practical considering the 
current reality.

                 [From the Miami Herald, June 9, 2005]

              Senior U.S. Official Visits Unsettled Haiti

                (By Jacqueline Charles and Joe Mozingo)

       The U.S. State Department's top man for Latin America and 
     the Caribbean arrived in Haiti on Wednesday to assess a 
     surging wave of violence and increasing demands for the 
     resignation of U.S.-backed Prime Minister Gerard Latortue.
       Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Roger Noriega met with 
     the political head of the U.N. peacekeeping mission and other 
     top officials in Haiti at the start of his two-day visit.
       Haiti's violence has turned so worrisome that even the so-
     called Council of Wisemen--a group of respected Haitians that 
     picked Latortue to head the interim government after the 
     hasty departure of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide 
     last year--has lost confidence in him.
       ``It's a failure,'' said Ariel Henry, a neurosurgeon and 
     vice chairman of the seven-member council. ``There is no 
     governance.'' He added that the council will soon issue an 
     ultimatum to Latortue: bring the country under control in 30 
     days or resign.
       What leverage the council has is unclear. But Henry's 
     statement carries political weight.
       During the weekend, a meeting of about 20 political parties 
     sponsored by the U.N. mission here came largely to the same 
     conclusion about Latortue, although three major parties say 
     they would not go so far as to call for his resignation.
       The Bush administration has pinned its hopes for stability 
     on Latortue's ability to pave the way for elections this 
     fall. But many Haitians doubt the country is ready, given a 
     paroxysm of recent violence in the capital.
       The 7,400-strong U.N. peacekeeping mission that began 
     arriving in Haiti after Aristide fled during an armed revolt 
     has not been able to tamp down the kidnappings, carjackings 
     and shootouts that have left hundreds dead in recent months 
     and have kept a ruined economy from recovering.
       Wahington has stood by Latortue and focused more on the 
     need to strengthen the U.N. peacekeeping force, which has 
     been criticized as too passive. Secretary of State 
     Condoleezza Rice this week said the U.N. mission needed to 
     increase its forces or conduct more aggressive operations. 
     She appeared to reject a growing push among the Haitian 
     political class for the return of the U.S. Marines deployed 
     here in the three months after Aristide's departure. She said 
     it was crucial that the Brazilian-led force in Haiti succeed.
       ``It was a real breakthrough for this hemisphere to have 
     Brazil in the lead and then to have other Western Hemisphere 
     states actually engaged in peacekeeping,'' Rice said at a 
     news conference Tuesday. ``We are devoted to making that 
     mechanism work, and so we are talking with the U.N. about 
     what more needs to be done.''
       Chantal Regnault contributed from Port-au-Prince.

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