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lhermantin@hotmail.com


Posted on Fri, Feb. 24, 2006


HAITI
Bush congratulates Préval, stresses support for Haiti
President Bush called Haitian President-elect René Préval to congratulate him and talk about aid and drug trafficking.
BY PABLO BACHELET
pbachelet@MiamiHerald.com

WASHINGTON - President Bush phoned Haitian President-elect René Préval Thursday to congratulate him and discuss economic aid and drug trafficking issues, the White House said Thursday.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said Bush told Préval the United States had a ``a continuing interest in the democratic and economic success of Haiti.''

''The two also briefly dis cussed cooperating in Haiti's economic development and the fight against the illegal drug trade,'' Perino added. Haiti is one of the major transit points for Colombian drugs heading to U.S. streets.

The call was a show of support for Préval, who was once close to former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Aristide has accused the administration of forcing him out of office during a 2004 armed revolt -- a charge Washington denies.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told a House panel last week that the Feb. 7 election was a ``chance for a country that has had too few chances, and I think you will see that we will be looking at what resource needs we have for Haiti, as this new government gets up and running.''

The United States is Haiti's top foreign donor, having allotted nearly $400 million since Aristide was overthrown.

Bush's 2007 budget request contains mixed news for Haiti.

It proposes a 22 percent cut in two U.S. Agency for International Development programs, to $39 million, leading some members of Congress to urge that aid be reinstated. The administration also wants to trim anti-drug trafficking aid from $15 million to $10 million. But it also proposes a 34 percent increase in assistance for HIV/AIDS initiatives, to $63 million.

The administration has also declined to support congressional initiatives to provide special concessions to Haiti's textile industry.