17 February 2004
Powell Says U.S. Does Not Envision Sending Forces to Haiti
Secretary says focus remains on political solution to current crisis
By Scott Miller
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington -- The United States does not envision sending military or police forces to Haiti to stop the violence that has claimed at least 50 lives over the past two weeks, according to U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell.
Armed rebels demanding the resignation of Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide took control of the northern city of Gonaives on February 5, and at least 50 people have been killed in the escalating violence there.
Speaking to reporters February 17 after a meeting with Swedish Foreign Minister Lila Freivalds, Powell said that the United States does not plan to send forces to quell the violence.
"There is, frankly, no enthusiasm right now for sending in military or police forces to put down the violence that we are seeing," he said.
Powell met February 13 with representatives of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Organization of American States (OAS), and Canada to coordinate efforts to support a peaceful, negotiated, democratic, and constitutional resolution to the political crisis in Haiti.
Powell reiterated February 17 that "what we want to do right now is find a political solution" to the impasse. He indicated that once such a solution is in place, "then there are willing nations that would come forward with a police presence to implement the political agreement that the [opposing] sides come to."
The secretary said that the United States is working with the OAS and others to facilitate a dialogue between Aristide and the opposition, and he urged both sides to adhere to a CARICOM proposal to resolve the country's crisis. "We have put forward with the United Nations and with CARICOM and the OAS a good plan, the CARICOM plan, that we believe both sides should take to heart [in order to] stop the violence on both sides and move forward to find a political solution to this crisis," he said.
Powell emphasized the United States' rejection of a solution that in any way illegally attempts to remove the elected president of Haiti. "We cannot buy into the proposition that the elected president must be forced out of office by thugs and those who do not respect the law and are bringing terrible violence to the Haitian people," he said.
Although the United States does not envision sending military or police forces to Haiti, Powell said, "we are sending people from the United States, the OAS and other international organizations" to help ease Haiti's humanitarian crisis.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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