• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

28 February 2004

U.S. Calls for Immediate End to Violence in Haiti

U.S. Ambassador issues appeal to Aristide, his supporters, and rebels

The U.S. Ambassador to Haiti James Foley issued a statement February 27 calling for an immediate end to the violence in that nation.

Ambassador Foley urged Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to instruct his supporters to stop spreading terror and attacking civilians as well as public and economic targets in Port-au-Prince.

He issued an equally urgent appeal to rebels to stop their advance toward Port-au-Prince to spare the capital from further violence.

Ambassador Foley noted that the international community is fully engaged in facilitating a solution to Haiti's current crisis and ending the suffering there.

Following is the text of Ambassador Foley's statement:

(begin text)

Press Statement
Richard Boucher, Spokesman
Washington, D.C.
February 28, 2004

Ambassador Calls for Immediate End to Violence in Haiti

On February 27, 2004, Ambassador Foley issued a statement calling on President Aristide to end the violence of the chimeres and appealing to the rebels not to attack Port-au-Prince. Embassy's Public Affairs Section released the Ambassador's statement to various media in French and English.
English text follows:

The United States Government is dismayed to report that the pro-government Popular Organizations in Port-au-Prince have begun to burn, pillage and kill. Even a hospital is apparently under attack at this moment. The armed gangs that are spreading terror and attacking civilians and the general population are acting in the name of Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

We therefore, urgently call upon President Aristide to issue the necessary instructions so that his supporters stop this blind violence against the civilian population and public and economic targets. Mr. Aristide must understand that his honor, legacy and reputation are now at stake.

We also take this opportunity to issue an equally urgent appeal to the armed elements of the north to stop their advance in order to spare the capital from violence additional to that currently being perpetrated in Port-au-Prince by pro-government armed gangs.

All should understand that the international community is fully seized with this crisis and is working energetically to spare the Haitian people from more suffering.

(end text)

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)