Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2002. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Miami Herald - Friday, April 19, 2002
Frank Davies, fdavies@herald.com
U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Colin Powell, have said that Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide must do more to work toward electoral reform, citing 2000 parliamentary elections that critics say were rigged. In recent months, U.S. officials have held up almost $500 million in international loans and assistance. That includes $146 million in loans approved by the Inter-American Development Bank.
"People are suffering in Haiti and we feel that our nation has an obligation to do something about it," said Meek at a Capitol Hill press conference. ``We'd like to see the United States end the linkage between humanitarian aid and the political process in Haiti."
A State Department spokesman said Thursday that $50 million in U.S. aid this year is going to nongovernmental and international groups, but the United States does not want to provide aid or loans to the Haitian government until it resolves its electoral crisis and improves human rights.
Meek, who visited Haiti in February, and other members of the Black Caucus said Aristide needs to pursue reforms and respect the political opposition, but said those issues should not block aid to a country experiencing high rates of infant mortality, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.
The caucus introduced a House resolution this week urging the Bush administration to remove the obstacles to aid.
Meek also called on Powell to get more involved in Haiti to improve the negotiations between Aristide and his political opponents.
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