    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1995, Book I)]
    [February 3, 1995]
    [Pages 158-160]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Message to the Congress Reporting on the National Emergency
    With Respect to Haiti
    February 3, 1995

    To the Congress of the United States:
        1. In December 1990, the Haitian people elected Jean-Bertrand
    Aristide as their President by an overwhelming margin in a free and fair
    election. The United States praised Haiti's success in peacefully
    implementing its democratic constitutional system and provided
    significant political and economic support to the new government. The
    Haitian military abruptly interrupted the consolidation of Haiti's new
    democ-

    [[Page 159]]

    racy when, in September 1991, it illegally and violently ousted
    President Aristide from office and drove him into exile.
        2. The United States, on its own and with the Organization of
    American States (OAS), immediately imposed sanctions against the illegal
    regime. Upon the recommendation of the legitimate government of
    President Aristide and of the OAS, the United Nations Security Council
    imposed incrementally a universal embargo on Haiti, beginning June 16,
    1993, with trade restrictions on certain strategic commodities. The
    United States actively supported the efforts of the OAS and the United
    Nations to restore democracy to Haiti and to bring about President
    Aristide's return by facilitating negotiations between the Haitian
    parties. The United States and the international community also offered
    material assistance within the context of an eventual negotiated
    settlement of the Haitian crisis to support the return to democracy,
    build constitutional structures, and foster economic well-being.
        The continued defiance of the will of the international community by
    the illegal regime led to an intensification of bilateral and
    multilateral economic sanctions against Haiti in May 1994. The U.N.
    Security Council on May 6 adopted Resolution 917, imposing comprehensive
    trade sanctions and other measures on Haiti. This was followed by a
    succession of unilateral U.S. sanctions designed to isolate the illegal
    regime. To augment embargo enforcement, the United States and other
    countries entered into a cooperative endeavor with the Dominican
    Republic to monitor that country's enforcement of sanctions along its
    land border and in its coastal waters.
        Defying coordinated international efforts, the illegal military
    regime in Haiti remained intransigent for some time. Internal repression
    continued to worsen, exemplified by the expulsion in July 1994 of the
    U.N./O.A.S.-sponsored International Civilian Mission (ICM) human rights
    observers. Responding to the threat to peace and security in the region,
    the U.N. Security Council passed Resolution 940 on July 31, 1994,
    authorizing the formation of a multinational force to use all necessary
    means to facilitate the departure from Haiti of the military leadership
    and the return of legitimate authorities including President Aristide.
        In the succeeding weeks, the international community under U.S.
    leadership assembled a multinational coalition force to carry out this
    mandate. At my request, former President Carter, Chairman of the Senate
    Armed Services Committee Sam Nunn, and former Chairman of the Joint
    Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell went to Haiti on September 16 to meet with
    the de facto Haitian leadership. The threat of imminent military
    intervention combined with determined diplomacy achieved agreement in
    Port-au-Prince on September 18 for the de facto leaders to relinquish
    power by October 15. United States forces in the vanguard of the
    multinational coalition force drawn from 26 countries began a peaceful
    deployment in Haiti on September 19 and the military leaders have since
    relinquished power.
        In a spirit of reconciliation and reconstruction, on September 25
    President Aristide called for the immediate easing of sanctions so that
    the work of rebuilding could begin. In response to this request, on
    September 26 in an address before the United Nations General Assembly, I
    announced my intention to suspend all unilateral sanctions against Haiti
    except those that affected the military leaders and their immediate
    supporters and families. On September 29, the U.N. Security Council
    adopted Resolution 944 terminating U.N.-imposed sanctions as of the day
    after President Aristide returned to Haiti.
        On October 15, President Aristide returned to Haiti to assume his
    official responsibilities. Effective October 16, 1994, by Executive
    Order No. 12932 (59 Fed. Reg. 52403, October 14, 1994), I terminated the
    national emergency declared on October 4, 1991, in Executive Order No.
    12775, along with all sanctions with respect to Haiti imposed in that
    Executive order, subsequent Executive orders, and the Department of the
    Treasury regulations to deal with that emergency. This termination does
    not affect compliance and enforcement actions involving prior
    transactions or violations of the sanctions.
        3. This report is submitted to the Congress pursuant to 50 U.S.C.
    1641(c) and 1703(c). It is not a report on all U.S. activities with
    respect to Haiti, but discusses only those Administration actions and
    expenses since my last report (October 13, 1994) that are directly
    related to the national emergency with respect to Haiti declared in
    Executive Order No. 12775, as implemented pursuant to that order and
    Executive Orders Nos. 12779, 12853, 12872, 12914, 12917, 12920, and
    12922.

    [[Page 160]]

        4. The Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control
    (FAC) amended the Haitian Transactions Regulations, 31 C.F.R. Part 580
    (the ``HTR'') on December 27, 1994 (59 Fed. Reg. 66476, December 27,
    1994), to add section 580.524, indicating the termination of sanctions
    pursuant to Executive Order No. 12932, effective October 16, 1994. The
    effect of this amendment is to authorize all transactions previously
    prohibited by subpart B of the HTR or by the previously stated Executive
    orders. Reports due under general or specific license must still be
    filed with FAC covering activities up until the effective date of this
    termination. Enforcement actions with respect to past violations of the
    sanctions are not affected by the termination of sanctions. A copy of
    the FAC amendment is attached.
        5. The total expenses incurred by the Federal Government during the
    period of the national emergency with respect to Haiti from October 4,
    1991, through October 15, 1994, that are directly attributable to the
    authorities conferred by the declaration of a national emergency with
    respect to Haiti are estimated to be approximately $6.2 million, most of
    which represent wage and salary costs for Federal personnel. This
    estimate has been revised downward substantially from the sum of
    estimates previously reported in order to eliminate certain previously
    reported costs incurred with respect to Haiti, but not directly
    attributable to the exercise of powers and authorities conferred by the
    declaration of the terminated national emergency with respect to Haiti.
        Thus, with the termination of sanctions, this is the last periodic
    report that will be submitted pursuant to 50 U.S.C. 1703(c) and also
    constitutes the last semiannual report and final report on
    Administration expenditures required pursuant to 50 U.S.C. 1641(c).

                                                          William J. Clinton

    The White House,

    February 3, 1995.