19040: Rep. Maxine Waters' letter on Haiti 2-20-04 (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Randall White <raw@haitiaction.org>

By Facsimile
(202) 647-8947

The Honorable Colin Powell
Secretary of State
Department of State
2201 C Street, NW, Room 7261
Washington, DC  20520

Dear Secretary Powell:

         I appreciate your continuing attention to
the crisis in Haiti.  Nonetheless, I am concerned
that the State Department is failing to provide
the public with a fair and balanced explanation
of the reasons that meaningful negotiations have
yet to occur.

         When are you going to inform the press
and the public that it is Andre Apaid, the leader
of the opposition, who has failed to accept the
CARICOM proposal as the basis for negotiations to
end this crisis?  As you know, the United States,
France, Canada, the nations of the Caribbean
Community, the Organization of American States
and President Jean-Bertrand Aristide all have
accepted the CARICOM proposal as the basis for
negotiations.

         Andre Apaid has repeatedly rejected
President Aristide's offer to negotiate, and he
continues to refuse to participate in any
negotiations whatsoever to resolve this crisis.
How can the President of Haiti be expected to
resolve differences with an opposition whose
leader will not even negotiate with him?

         Despite President Aristide's acceptance
of the CARICOM proposal, recent statements from
State Department representatives have left the
misleading impression that President Aristide is
the obstacle to negotiations.  I urge the State
Department to correct the record and tell the
press and the public the truth, namely, that
Andre Apaid's intransigence is the reason that
negotiations have not gone forward.

                                                 Sincerely,



                                                 Maxine Waters
                                                 Member of Congress


MW:ks


cc:     His Excellency Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations
         His Excellency César Gaviria, the Secretary General of the OAS
         The Honorable Michael Kergin, Ambassador of Canada
         The Honorable Jean-David Levitte, Ambassador of France
         The Heads of State of CARICOM
         The Ambassadors of CARICOM

The Members of the Congressional Black Caucus

         The Honorable Ron Dellums
         Rev. Jesse Jackson
         Mr. Randall Robinson
         Ms. Hazel Ross-Robinson
         Electronic and print media