[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 31, Number 5 (Monday, February 6, 1995)]
[Pages 185-187]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Message to the Congress on 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 
democracy 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 co- 

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operative 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.
    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

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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.