Haiti Democracy Project

www.haitipolicy.org

107th CONGRESS

2d Session

H. CON. RES. 382
Urging the President to end any embargo against Haiti and to no longer
require, as a condition of providing humanitarian and development assistance
to Haiti , the resolution of the political impasse in Haiti , and for other
purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

APRIL 18, 2002
Ms. LEE (for herself, Mrs. MEEK of Florida, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of
Texas, Mr. MEEKS of New York, Mrs. CLAYTON, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. CONYERS, Mr.
CUMMINGS, Ms. BROWN of Florida, Mr. OWENS, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Mr.
HASTINGS of Florida, Mr. JEFFERSON, Mr. HILLIARD, Mr. CLAY, Ms. CARSON of
Indiana, Mrs. CHRISTENSEN, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Ms. MCKINNEY, Mr. TOWNS,
Ms. WATSON of California, Mr. BISHOP, Mr. RUSH, Mrs. JONES of Ohio, Ms.
KILPATRICK, Mr. FATTAH, Ms. WATERS, Mr. FORD, Mr. SCOTT, Mr. WYNN, Mr.
THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, Mr. RANGEL, Ms.
MILLENDER-MCDONALD, Mr. CLYBURN, Ms. NORTON, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, and Mr.
WATT of North Carolina) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which
was referred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the
Committee on International Relations, for a period to be subsequently
determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Urging the President to end any embargo against Haiti and to no longer
require, as a condition of providing humanitarian and development assistance
to Haiti , the resolution of the political impasse in Haiti , and for other
purposes.

Whereas Haiti is one of the most impoverished nations in the Western
Hemisphere;

Whereas the quality of life in Haiti is increasingly desperate as HIV and
AIDS infections are rapidly increasing to epidemic proportions, such that
over 300,000 infected people have been identified and deaths resulting in
such infections have led to an orphan population of more than 163,000;

Whereas the infant mortality rate in Haiti continues to rise, and only 1 in
every 10,000 Haitians has access to a physician;

Whereas only 40 percent of all Haitians have access to potable water;

Whereas a dispute over the results of the parliamentary elections of May
2000 has led to a political impasse that is stifling the country and the
Organization of American States has attempted to negotiate a settlement to
the political impasse for nearly 18 months without success;

Whereas these negotiations have been marred by political violence, including
several attempts to undermine the elected government in Haiti , and the
economic status of Haiti continues to spiral downward;

Whereas the Government of Haiti has achieved significant progress in
resolving the impasse, including securing the resignation of the declared
winners of the disputed senate seats and reducing the terms of office of all
parliamentary officials elected on May 21, 2000;

Whereas a resolution adopted by the Organization of American States on June
5, 2001, provides that the Secretary General has the authority to normalize
relations between international financial institutions and the Government of
Haiti based upon progress to resolve the political impasse;

Whereas the United States has enjoyed nearly 200 years of bilateral
relations with Haiti and its successive governments;

Whereas the United States has recently levied an embargo of all multilateral
development assistance, including loans approved by the Inter-American
Development Bank and ratified by the Haitian Parliament, pending a
resolution to the political impasse;

Whereas the Inter-American Development Bank acknowledges that a major factor
causing economic stagnation in Haiti is the withholding of foreign grants
and loans due to the political impasse;

Whereas the United States sponsored a resolution on January 15, 2002, in the
Permanent Council of the Organization of American States, which calls for an
expanded mission to Haiti ;

Whereas the international community is funneling some bilateral assistance
to non-governmental organizations acting in Haiti and has purposely bypassed
any development activity with the current Government of Haiti ; and

Whereas a recent report from a special mission to Haiti from the Caribbean
Community recognized the need for a large infusion of multilateral
assistance and the need to work through the Government of Haiti as an
appropriate and necessary process to achieve basic development and
humanitarian goals in Haiti : Now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That the
Congress--

(1) urges the President to end any embargo against Haiti and to no longer
require, as a condition of providing humanitarian and development assistance
to Haiti , the resolution of the political impasse in Haiti resulting from
the legislative elections of May 2000;

(2) urges the President to direct the Secretary of State to intervene
directly on the behalf of the United States and the people of Haiti to
mediate the political impasse, to provide constructive guarantees to any
resolution to the crisis, and to recruit positive support from the
Organization of American States, the European Union, the Caribbean
Community, and other international bodies to sustain any negotiated settlement;

(3) urges the President to direct the Secretary of State to conduct an
immediate review of United States policy toward Haiti , including adequate
and appropriate consultations with the relevant committees of Congress;

(4) calls on the United States Agency for International Development, the
World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the Inter-American
Development Bank to convene a meeting of all donors and potential donors to
Haiti , with the objective of launching a new and sustainable humanitarian
initiative, including a lending program that will help bolster the economic
base of Haiti ; and

(5) supports the expansion of the mission of the Organization of American
States to Haiti and calls on the President to urge that this mission work
constructively with the Government and people of Haiti to advance their
goals and aspirations and not the objectives of other governments or
international organizations.