23557: (Hermantin)Miami-Herald-Editorial How Haiti Can survive-part one (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: leonie hermantin <lhermantin@hotmail.com>

Posted on Tue, Oct. 19, 2004


HOW HAITI CAN SURVIVE
End the suffering, restore order and stability




Haiti is on life support. More than 1,900 people died in floods caused by
Tropical Storm Jeanne. Hundreds more are still missing. The streets of
Gonaives remain covered in mud. The government is dysfunctional, the
political system moribund, the people destitute.

All of this is a tragedy which has no single author. But here is what is
unacceptable: With the exception of charities such as Caritas and the Red
Cross, those who can breathe life into the dying patient have either turned
their backs on Haiti or refused to do enough.

Too harsh? Not at all. As of Friday, the U.N Stabilization Mission in Haiti
has some 3,090 military personnel from Argentina, Brazil, Nepal, Sri Lanka
and Uruguay, according to its U.N. website, as well as 650 police. A
contingent from China -- China! -- arrived on Sunday. The Security Council,
however, has authorized 6,700 troops and 1,622 civilian police. The question
must be asked: Where are the other countries of the hemisphere? There's
something pathetically wrong when the other members of the 34-nation
Organization of American States -- acting separately or in concert -- can't
be bothered to offer more help in Haiti's moment of crisis.

And while the U.N. scrambles to find more troops, chaos flourishes. Food
distribution has been halted in some places because aid workers fear for
their safety. The U.S. Embassy has sent non-essential personnel home for the
same reason. Criminal gangs control some parts of the country.

Without security, Haiti can't move forward. Interim Prime Minister Gerard
Latortue, a South Florida resident who was drafted for the job, is doing the
best he can with precious few resources. He has wisely chosen to stay above
the political fray by taking himself out of the running for permanent
office. Meanwhile, scores of political factions engage in petty quarrels,
seemingly oblivious to the nation's plight.

Mr. Latortue wants to hold elections early next year to get a permanent
government in place, but conditions must be right. Today, they aren't. They
are atrocious, and getting worse.

In South Florida, home to a productive and growing Haitian community, there
is every reason for the evident concern over conditions in Haiti. Many of
our neighbors have lost family and loved ones in Haiti due to political
unrest or the destructive force of nature. If the situation continues to
unravel, the neighboring Dominican Republic -- itself recovering from an
economic downfall -- would be the most obvious destination for a Haitian
exodus. Dominican Republic President Leonel Fernández, who is no alarmist
but has reason to worry, described the current situation as a ''worsening
crisis.'' He told The Herald's editorial board last week that Haiti will not
be ready for the scheduled elections in February unless conditions improve
significantly, and soon.

The only sure way for that to happen is with the active and immediate
engagement of the U.S. government and its resources. The Bush administration
hasn't abandoned Haiti -- but it hasn't done enough. By early this month,
the U.S. Agency for International Development had provided some $2 million
in humanitarian aid as part of a larger Caribbean package, and more is on
the way. Even so, it is a drop in the bucket.

It is painful to hear Mr. Latortue recount how he pleaded with U.S.
officials to leave a small contingent of U.S. Marines in Haiti, only to have
them all withdrawn. They were part of a larger force that was sent in to
stabilize Haiti after the removal on Feb. 29 of former President
Jean-Bertrand Aristide. It is now obvious -- and should have been clear at
the time -- that the withdrawal of U.S. forces was premature, particularly
in view of the role played by the United States in paving the way for Mr.
Aristide's hasty departure. It's time to send U.S. troops back.

Blaming the United States for what's wrong with Haiti would be wrong, not to
mention pointless. But a nation that exercises authority beyond its borders,
as our nation does, must also accept the responsibility that goes with it.
No nation has the requisite resources, the in-country experience or the
ability to move as fast in terms of security as the United States. For
reasons already recounted, this is a matter of urgent priority for South
Florida.

Florida's Congressional representatives, all 27 of them, must act --
hopefully in concert -- to see that Washington steps up with more forceful
intervention. To contact your representative, go to congress.gov, click on
House directory or Senate directory, then click on Florida.

This is happening in our neighborhood. Haiti needs help, and there is no
time to waste.






--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_________________________________________________________________
Don’t just search. Find. Check out the new MSN Search!
http://search.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200636ave/direct/01/