Congressional Black Caucus: Bush Must Stop Haiti Coup

Today at the United Nations, the UN Security Council is holding an emergency session on the embattled Caribbean nation. Meanwhile in Washington, the House Intelligence Committee is holding a closed door meeting with Roger Noriega, the Undersecretary of State for Western Hemispheric Affairs and other US officials running Washington's Haiti policy.
Late yesterday, France called on Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to resign and said a United Nations-backed security force should be deployed to Haiti to stabilize the country. Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepan said Aristide's government has lost its legitimacy and should be replaced.

President Bush yesterday rejected President Aristide's appeal for immediate security assistance from the international community to head off bloody insurrection, saying the US would "encourage the international community to provide a security presence" only after there was what Bush called a "political settlement." That remark confused some observers, given that it is Aristide's opponents that have rejected Washington's so-called peace initiative. Aristide accepted the plan. At the White House yesterday, Bush also warned Haitians not to flee to the United States.

Bush's statements yesterday immediately drew fire from members of the Congressional Black Caucus. At a press conference yesterday, Rep. Elijah Cummings and Congressmember Charlie Rangel addressed reporters.

That was Rep. Charlie Rangel of New York and Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland speaking at a press conference yesterday.

Shortly after Bush made his remarks, Black Caucus members rushed to the White House to express concern at what they say is Bush's refusal to preserve the democratically elected government in Haiti. They first met US National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and ultimately demanded to meet with Bush. Secretary of State Colin Powell and White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card were there as well. This comes a day after Ira Kurzban, the lawyer for the Haitian government, said on this program that the US is arming and training the paramilitaries currently fighting to topple Aristide's government.


Rep. Maxine Waters, Democratic Congressmember from California serving in her seventh term. She is the Chief Deputy Whip of the Democratic Party and serves as Co-Chair of the House Democratic Steering Committee. She is the former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Listen To Audio
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=04/02/26/1612207