A Fresh Start for Haiti? Charting the Future of U.S.-Haitian Relations
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S. HRG. 108–544 A FRESH START FOR HAITI? CHARTING THE FUTURE OF U.S.-HAITIAN RELATIONS HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON WESTERN HEMISPHERE, PEACE CORPS AND NARCOTICS AFFAIRS OF THE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS UNITED STATES SENATE ONE HUNDRED EIGHTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION MARCH 10, 2004 Printed for the use of the Committee on Foreign Relations ( Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.access.gpo.gov/congress/senate U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 94–920 PDF WASHINGTON : 2005 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2250 Mail: Stop SSOP, Washington, DC 20402–0001 VerDate 11-MAY-2000 12:43 Aug 10, 2005 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 94920 SFRELA2 PsN: SFRELA2 COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS RICHARD G. LUGAR, Indiana, Chairman CHUCK HAGEL, Nebraska JOSEPH R. BIDEN, JR., Delaware LINCOLN CHAFEE, Rhode Island PAUL S. SARBANES, Maryland GEORGE ALLEN, Virginia CHRISTOPHER J. DODD, Connecticut SAM BROWNBACK, Kansas JOHN F. KERRY, Massachusetts MICHAEL B. ENZI, Wyoming RUSSELL D. FEINGOLD, Wisconsin GEORGE V. VOINOVICH, Ohio BARBARA BOXER, California LAMAR ALEXANDER, Tennessee BILL NELSON, Florida NORM COLEMAN, Minnesota JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, West Virginia JOHN E. SUNUNU, New Hampshire JON S. CORZINE, New Jersey KENNETH A. MYERS, JR., Staff Director ANTONY J. BLINKEN, Democratic Staff Director SUBCOMMITTEE ON WESTERN HEMISPHERE, PEACE CORPS AND NARCOTICS AFFAIRS NORM COLEMAN, Minnesota, Chairman LINCOLN CHAFEE, Rhode Island CHRISTOPHER J. DODD, Connecticut GEORGE ALLEN, Virginia BARBARA BOXER, California MICHAEL B. ENZI, Wyoming BILL NELSON, Florida JOHN E. SUNUNU, New Hampshire JOSEPH R. BIDEN, JR., Delaware JOHN F. KERRY, Massachusetts (II) VerDate 11-MAY-2000 12:43 Aug 10, 2005 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 94920 SFRELA2 PsN: SFRELA2 CONTENTS Page Boxer, Hon. Barbara, U.S. Senator from California ............................................. 4 Coleman, Hon. Norm, U.S. Senator from Minnesota, Chairman of the Sub- committee .............................................................................................................. 1 Cummings, Hon. Elijah, U.S. Representative from Maryland ............................. 12 DeWine, Hon. Mike, U.S. Senator from Ohio ........................................................ 5 Dobbins, Hon. James, Director, International Security and Defense Policy Center, RAND ...................................................................................................... 67 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 70 Dodd, Hon. Christopher J., U.S. Senator from Connecticut ................................ 18 Franco, Hon. Adolfo, Assistant Administrator, Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean, U.S. Agency for International Development ............................ 27 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 28 Graham, Hon. Bob, U.S. Senator from Florida ..................................................... 7 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 10 Heinl, Michael, Co-Author, ‘‘Written in Blood, The Story of the Haitian People 1492–1995, Washington, DC ............................................................................... 75 Maguire, Robert, Director, Programs in International Affairs, Trinity College, Washington, D.C. ................................................................................................. 77 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 79 Noriega, Hon. Roger, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, Department of State ............................................................................... 21 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 23 Pezzullo, Hon. Lawrence, Former U.S. Special Envoy to Haiti (Retired), Wash- ington, D.C. ........................................................................................................... 72 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 73 Waters, Hon. Maxine, U.S. Representative from California ................................ 14 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 16 APPENDIX Responses to Additional Questions Submitted for the Record by Members of the Committee .................................................................................................. 101 Responses to Questions Submitted by Senator Dodd to Assistant Sec- retary of State Roger Noriega ...................................................................... 101 Responses to Questions Submitted by Senator DeWine to Assistant Sec- retary of State Roger Noriega ...................................................................... 103 Responses to Questions Submitted by Senator DeWine to Assistant Ad- ministrator Adolfo Franco, USAID .............................................................. 104 Additional Information Submitted for the Record ................................................ 106 Joint Proposal & Position Paper: The Haiti Reconstruction Fund, pre- pared March 2, 2004 by The National Organization for The Advance- ment of Haitians ........................................................................................... 106 (III) VerDate 11-MAY-2000 12:43 Aug 10, 2005 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 94920 SFRELA2 PsN: SFRELA2 VerDate 11-MAY-2000 12:43 Aug 10, 2005 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 94920 SFRELA2 PsN: SFRELA2 A FRESH START FOR HAITI? CHARTING THE FUTURE OF U.S.-HAITIAN RELATIONS Wednesday, March 10, 2004 U.S. SENATE, SUBCOMMITTEE ON WESTERN HEMISPHERE, PEACE CORPS, AND NARCOTICS AFFAIRS, COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS, Washington, D.C. The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 2:31 p.m. in Room SD–419, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. Norm Coleman, Chairman of the subcommittee, presiding. Present: Senators Cole- man, Dodd, Boxer, and Bill Nelson. OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. NORM COLEMAN, U.S. SENATOR FROM MINNESOTA Senator COLEMAN. This hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Peace Corps, and Narcotics Affairs will come to order. I’d like to thank our witnesses for coming to this important hear- ing, and Congressman Cummings, for being so on time. And I cer- tainly would like to acknowledge the tremendous interest in this topic. Haiti is the second-oldest republic in the hemisphere, a country of great promise. Unfortunately, that promise has not yet borne fruit. Haiti is the most impoverished nation in our hemisphere, has the highest AIDS rate, and a very, very troubled 200-year history. The title of this hearing, ‘‘A Fresh Start for Haiti? Charting the Future of U.S.-Haitian Relations,’’ was chosen very carefully. I be- lieve there is a moment of opportunity here to come together to think about lending a hand to Haiti to support a future that is an improvement over Haiti’s past. I look forward to hearing, from our witnesses, practical and specific ideas to put Haiti on track for a more promising future. I know there has been considerable debate in Washington over the issue of Haiti, and with Aristide’s departure, that division has only intensified. Let me lay out my own view on President Aristide. He may have come to office through elections that had the trappings of democracy, but that does not mean he governed like a democrat. Aristide broke and politicized the Haitian police, chose to rely instead on a paramilitary group of supporters to harass and even kill opponents. He has been accused of drug trafficking and corruption. Rigged parliamentary elections in 2000 were never re- (1) VerDate 11-MAY-2000 12:43 Aug 10, 2005 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 94920 SFRELA2 PsN: SFRELA2 2 solved. Having lost the trust of the Haitian people, Aristide decided to resign from the Haitian presidency. I trust the statements of Secretary of State Powell, and I do not believe Aristide was kid- napped or overthrown by a coup d’e´tat. There is an important point here. Fair elections are very impor- tant, but democracy has got to mean something more than just periodic elections. Democracy needs honest governance, freedom of expression and assembly, protection of human rights. President Aristide fell short in all these measures, and I believe the people of Haiti can do better. There is a legitimate concern regarding U.S. policy toward a fal- tering democracy, such as Haiti. What is our international respon- sibility to stand with democratically elected governments that have lost the trust of their people? But our challenge and focus now is, how do we meet the needs of the Haitian people today and tomor- row? While Congress has an essential role in holding the adminis- tration accountable on foreign and domestic policy, I believe we do a disservice to the people of Haiti if we spend too much time turn- ing their latest crisis into a political rallying cry in this country. I think there is an incredible moment of opportunity here for the U.S. and the international community to join together to make a sustained and long-term investment in Haiti. Haiti needs our help.