    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1994, Book II)]
    [September 18, 1994]
    [Pages 1572-1574]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Letter to Congressional Leaders on Deployment of United States
    Armed Forces to Haiti
    September 18, 1994

    Dear Mr. Speaker:  (Dear Mr. President:)
        I am providing this report, consistent with the sense of Congress in
    section 8147(c) of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 1994
    (Public Law 103-139), to advise you of the objectives and character of
    the planned deployment of U.S. Armed Forces into Haiti.
        (1) The deployment of U.S. Armed Forces into Haiti is justified by
    United States national security interests: to restore democratic
    government to Haiti; to stop the brutal atrocities that threaten tens of
    thousands of Haitians; to secure our borders; to preserve stability and
    promote democracy in our hemisphere; and to uphold the reliability of
    the commitments we make and the commitments others make to us.
        From the very beginning of the coup against the democratic
    government of Haiti, the United States and the rest of the international
    community saw the regime as a threat to our interests in this
    hemisphere. Indeed President Bush declared that the coup ``constitute[d]
    an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign
    policy, and economy of the United States.''
        The United States' interest in Haiti is rooted in a consistent U.S.
    policy, since the 1991 coup, to help restore democratic government to
    that nation. The United States has a particular interest in responding
    to gross abuses of human rights when they occur so close to our shores.
        The departure of the coup leaders from power is also the best way to
    stem another mass outflow of Haitians, with consequences for the
    stability of our region and control of our borders. Continuing
    unconstitutional rule in Haiti would threaten the stability of other
    countries in this hemisphere by emboldening elements opposed to
    democracy and freedom.
        The agreement regarding the transition between the de facto
    government and the elected government, negotiated by former President

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    Jimmy Carter, Senator Sam Nunn, and General Colin Powell, will achieve
    the objective of facilitating the departure of the coup leaders. Their
    departure will substantially decrease the likelihood of armed
    resistance.
        (2) Despite this agreement, this military operation is not without
    risk. Necessary steps have been taken to ensure the safety and security
    of U.S. Armed Forces. Our intention is to deploy a force of sufficient
    size to serve as a deterrent to armed resistance. The force will have a
    highly visible and robust presence with firepower ample to overwhelm any
    localized threat. This will minimize casualties and maximize our
    capability to ensure that essential civil order is maintained and the
    agreement arrived at is implemented. The force's rules of engagement
    allow for the use of necessary and proportionate force to protect
    friendly personnel and units and to provide for individual self-defense,
    thereby ensuring that our forces can respond effectively to threats and
    are not made targets by reason of their rules of engagement.
        (3) The proposed mission and objectives are most appropriate for
    U.S. Armed Forces, and the forces proposed for deployment are necessary
    and sufficient to accomplish the objectives of the proposed mission.
    Pursuant to U.N. Security Council Resolution 940, a multinational
    coalition has been assembled to use ``all necessary means'' to restore
    the democratic government to Haiti and to provide a stable and secure
    environment for the implementation of the Governors Island Accords. The
    deployment of U.S. Armed Forces is required to ensure that United States
    national security interests with respect to Haiti remain unchallenged
    and to underscore the reliability of U.S. and UN commitments.
        This crisis affects the interests of the United States and other
    members of the world community alike, and thus warrants and has received
    the participation of responsible states in the coalition to redress the
    situation. The United States is playing a predominant role because it is
    the leading military power in the hemisphere, and accordingly, has the
    influence and military capability to lead such an operation. The
    coalition is made up of representatives from 25 member nations,
    including the United States. During the initial phase of the operation,
    the force will be of sufficient size to overwhelm any opposition that
    might arise despite the existence of the agreement. In the follow-on,
    transitional phase, forces from other members of the coalition will
    assume increasingly important roles. At all times when U.S. forces are
    deployed in whatever phase, they will be equipped, commanded, and
    empowered so as to ensure their own protection.
        (4) Clear objectives for the deployment have been established. These
    limited objectives are: to facilitate the departure of the military
    leadership, the prompt return of the legitimately elected President and
    the restoration of the legitimate authorities of the Government of
    Haiti. We will assist the Haitian government in creating a civilian-
    controlled security force. We will also ensure the protection of U.S.
    citizens and U.S. facilities.
        (5) An exit strategy for ending the deployment has been identified.
    Our presence in Haiti will not be open-ended. After a period of months,
    the coalition will be replaced by a UN peacekeeping force (UNMIH). By
    that time, the bulk of U.S. forces will have departed. Some U.S. forces
    will make up a portion of the UNMIH and will be present in Haiti for the
    duration of the U.N. mission. The entire U.N. mission will withdraw from
    Haiti after elections are held next year and a new Haitian Government
    takes office in early 1996, consistent with U.N. Security Council
    Resolution 940.
        (6) The financial costs of the deployment are estimated to be the
    following. A conservative, preliminary estimate of Department of Defense
    and Department of State incremental costs for U.S. military operations,
    U.S. support for the multinational coalition, and the follow-on U.N.
    peacekeeping operation is projected at $500-$600 million through
    February 1996. This covers potential costs to be incurred in FY 1994, FY
    1995, and FY 1996. Final deployment-related costs could vary from this
    estimate depending on how operations proceed in the first few weeks, how
    fast civic order is restored, and when the operation is replaced by a
    U.N. peacekeeping operation. A preliminary estimate of U.S.
    nondeployment-related costs--migrant operations, sanctions enforcement,
    police training, and economic reconstruction--will be provided
    separately. The Congress will be provided more complete estimates as
    they become available.
        Sincerely,

                                                          William J. Clinton

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    Note: Identical letters were sent to Thomas S. Foley, Speaker of the
    House of Representatives, and Albert Gore, Jr., President of the Senate.
    This letter was released by the Office of the Press Secretary on
    September 19.