25529: Dickey: Open Letter to President George W Bush.doc (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: "Dickey, Vanessa" <vdickey@SIMEUSFOODS.com>

OPEN LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

June 30, 2005

President George W. Bush

The White House

Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President:

We have read a press release from the U.S. Embassy in Haiti further reducing
the in-country personnel and sending them back home as a result of continued
and accelerating violence in Haiti.  While all of us Haitians and Haitian-
Americans are very grateful to the United States for its repeated benevolent
acts towards Haiti, we are respectfully asking you once more for additional
help that only you can provide.



UN Peacekeeping Chief Jean-Marie Guehenno recently stated that parts of Haiti
are far worse than the violent conditions in Darfur, and that the 1,000
additional troops assigned to Haiti will be insufficient to solve this
crisis.  United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan has also stated that only
the presence of U.S. troops working side-by-side with the U.N. will bring
about peace and security.



We Haitians and Haitian-Americans support the assertion of Mr. Kofi Annan that
only the direct intervention of the United States will stem the flow of
violence and bring about peace and security for all of its citizens.  As you
know, there are at least 6-10 kidnappings daily in the country and citizens
are living in a state of terrorism, full of fear and anxiety, afraid even to
drive their kids to school.



May I urge you Mr. President, on behalf of Haitians everywhere, to consider
direct action and help us provide security to our helpless brothers and
sisters in Haiti.



Respectfully yours,



Dumas M. Siméus

Chairman & Founder, Siméus Foods International, Inc.

Co-Chair, National Organization for the Advancement of Haitians

Chairman, PromoCapital USA Haitian-American Investment Bank