18572: (Hermantin)Miami-Herald-Familiar role awaits base in boat crisis (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: leonie hermantin <lhermantin@hotmail.com>

Posted on Fri, Feb. 13, 2004

Familiar role awaits base in boat crisis

Relief organizations say they have indications that U.S. officials are
preparing for a boat crisis from Haiti that could spill into Guantánamo Bay,
Cuba.

BY CAROL ROSENBERG

crosenberg@herald.com


Even as Bush administration officials downplay prospects of a mass migrant
flow from Haiti, they are preparing behind the scenes for a crisis at sea
that spills over to Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.

Several U.S.-based relief organizations said on Thursday that State
Department officials have asked recently what kind of services they would
provide to Haitian migrants at Guantánamo.

''They have asked us to indicate our capabilities for assisting should there
be a crisis in Haiti that would result in a major refugee outflow,'' said an
official with a relief agency that has served Cubans and Haitians at the
Navy base in the past.

UNCOMFORTABLE

None of the relief groups, which are nongovernmental organizations, or NGOs,
agreed to speak publicly on the U.S. relief plans. Several said they were
uncomfortable with being associated with a U.S. immigration policy that
treats Haitians differently from Cubans but added that they no doubt would
cooperate if a humanitarian crisis emerged.

Also at issue, the advocates said, is whether the Navy base would be a
suitable relief site now that the base is home to a prison for terrorism
suspects.

The base has long been the White House's location of choice to deal with
Caribbean migration crises. In 1995 and 1996, U.S. military and humanitarian
groups ran tent camps there for 55,000 Haitians and Cubans picked up at sea
while trying to reach U.S. shores.

NO SIGN OF OUTFLOW

U.S. officials say they have seen no evidence of a mounting wave of Haitian
migrants despite a week-long outburst of political violence against
President Jean-Bertrand Aristide that has left nearly 50 dead.

A State Department official, speaking on condition that she not be
identified by name, said any talks with relief agencies in recent months has
been ''routine,'' and not related to the turmoil in Haiti. ''We don't expect
a mass migration and we have a clear policy on migrants in any case,'' the
diplomat said..

The Pentagon's Miami-based Southern Command regularly updates its blueprints
and supplies for migrant crises in coordination with the State Department,
Coast Guard and other federal agencies.

A Southcom spokesman reported no extraordinary activity at the Navy base in
southeastern Cuba and said there had been no order to prepare for a Haiti
crisis.

_________________________________________________________________
Optimize your Internet experience to the max with the new MSN Premium
Internet Software. http://click.atdmt.com/AVE/go/onm00200359ave/direct/01/