14611: Hermantin: Miami Herald-Ethel Kennedy, in Haiti, looks into foreign aid (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: leonie hermantin <lhermantin@hotmail.com>

Miami- Herald
Posted on Fri, Jan. 24, 2003

Ethel Kennedy, in Haiti, looks into foreign aid

PORT-AU-PRINCE -- (AP) -- Ethel Kennedy arrived in Haiti Thursday with a
U.S. congressional delegation to investigate how the withholding of foreign
aid has deepened despair in the impoverished nation.

''There are a lot of wonderful people in Haiti. There's hope, if people are
willing to take a risk,'' said Kennedy, the widow of Robert Kennedy.

She was accompanied by Rep. Donna Christensen, a Democrat from the U.S.
Virgin Islands; Rep. Jan Schakowsky, a Democrat from Illinois; Rep. Diane
Watson, a Democrat from California; and Todd Howland, director of the Robert
F. Kennedy Center for Human Rights for the two-day trip.

After meeting with government officials Thursday afternoon, Kennedy met with
critics of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

''Mrs. Kennedy's praiseworthy humanitarian effort should not be tied to
unconditional political support for Aristide, who has betrayed the hopes of
the Haitian people,'' said opposition politician Mischa Gaillard.

Aristide has blamed Haiti's plight on years of dictatorships often supported
by the international community, and accused the opposition of ''cowardice,''
because it wants him to step down before there are elections.

Aristide was scheduled to meet today with Kennedy and the delegation
members, all of whom have denounced the suspension of foreign aid to the
country.



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