#309: Clinton Letter on Haiti (fwd)

[Robert Corbett <bcorbett@netcom.com>]

From:nozier@tradewind.net

Clinton Letter on Haiti 
To: National Desk 
Contact: White House Press Office, 202-456-2100 

WASHINGTON, Aug. 16 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The following was released 
today by the White House: 

August 16, 1999 

TEXT OF A LETTER FROM 
THE PRESIDENT TO THE SPEAKER OF 
THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND 
THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE 

Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:) 

Pursuant to the authority vested in me as President by the 
Constitution and the laws of the United States, including section 
561(b) of the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related 
Programs Appropriations Act, 1999 (FOAA), as enacted in Public Law 
105-277, I hereby report to the Congress that the central Government 
of Haiti: (1) has achieved a trans-parent settlement of the contested 
April 1997 elections, and (2) has made concrete progress on the 
constitution of a credible and competent provisional electoral 
council that is acceptable to a broad spectrum of political parties 
and civic groups in Haiti. Section 561(b) states that funds 
appropriated by the FOAA and made available to support elections in 
Haiti shall not be restricted if I report to the Congress that the 
central Government of Haiti has met the two aforementioned criteria. 

The first criterion in section 561(b) of the FOAA, a transparent 
settlement of the contested April 1997 elections, was cumulatively 
met by a public declaration by the Provisional Electoral Council 
(CEP) on June 11 and the promulgation of the Electoral Law, which was 
published in the national gazette Le Moniteur July 19, and 
republished with corrections July 22. Taken together, these two acts 
establish that 19 Senate seats will be run in the legislative and 
local elections projected for late 1999. Included in this number are 
the two still-contested Senate seats from April 1997. Article 63 of 
the Electoral Law specifically states "the number of Senators to be 
elected in the upcoming elections shall be determined by the CEP." 
This authority is also provided in Article 16. Article 130 states 
that the elections are to fill Senate seats vacant by "fact or law." 

Pursuant to its authority to determine which seats will be 
competed, the CEP declared publicly on June 11 that it "has decided 
to call elections to fill all Senate positions currently vacant, 
whether de facto or de jure, without distinction." In a number of 
subsequent public statements, as well as in private assurances to the 
Embassy and others in the international community, CEP officials 
explicitly and unanimously reiterated that because there are 
presently eight sitting Senators and the Constitution calls for a 
Senate of 27 Senators, a total of 19 Senate seats will be competed, 
including the two still-contested positions. 

The second criterion, concrete progress on constituting a 
competent, credible, and broadly acceptable CEP, was achieved March 
16 when President Preval announced that nine-member body's 
composition after consultations with the five-party Espace de 
Concertation. Since that time, the CEP has performed in a competent, 
even-handed, and credible manner and has been deemed acceptable even 
by parties and movements who stand in staunch opposition to the 
government. 

Sincerely, 

WILLIAM J. CLINTON