U.S. Watches for Possible Increase in Boat People From Troubled Haiti

AP ^ | Feb. 10, 2004

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U.S. Watches for Possible Increase in Boat People From Troubled Haiti

By George Gedda

Feb 10, 2004/Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. Coast Guard is monitoring waters off Haiti for signs that the number of Haitians trying to flee will increase due to the violence wracking the country, a State Department official said Tuesday. No increase has been detected thus far, but U.S. authorities are watching the situation closely, said the official, who asked not to be identified.

In 1992, tens of thousands of Haitians tried to escape a repressive military government then in power. Many were picked up and taken to the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

An increase in construction of homemade boats would be one sign of intent to flee, but that has not occurred, the official said.

Between 2,500 and 3,500 fleeing Haitians are picked up by Coast Guard cutters each year and repatriated, the official said.

There are no reliable estimates on the number of Haitians who arrive in the United States or perish at sea, the official said.

Secretary of State Colin Powell received the diplomatic credentials Tuesday of Haiti's new ambassador, Raymond Valcin. He told Valcin that Haiti should attempt to restore peace by seeking a political solution.

The United States is keeping generally a low profile in Haiti, preferring to allow diplomats from the Caribbean and the Organization of American States to try to overcome the wide gap between President Jean-Bertrand Aristide and his opponents.

In 1994, U.S. forces reinstated Aristide to power, forcing out a three-man junta that had deposed him in 1991.

Now the administration seems to be holding Aristide responsible for the unrest, which has claimed more than 40 lives.

"Our goal has been to make clear to President Aristide that he needs to take the opportunity to make peace, take the opportunity to reach a political settlement," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said.

Beyond that, he said Aristide must undertake "thoroughgoing reforms" if stability is to be achieved.

The United States has asked Congress for $55 million in humanitarian assistance for Haiti this year. The aid total last year was $72 million.

Part of the unrest stems from parliamentary elections in 2000 that many regarded as fraudulent.

Haiti is one of 34 countries that belong to the Organization of American States, which insists on democratic governance as a requirement for membership.

The State Department official said the department is trying to determine whether Haiti still qualifies as a member.

[Clemenza]

Well, my parents neighbors in Boca and the rest of Palm Beach County have been complaining that the Guatemalans aint measuring up to the Haitian landscapers who dominated the field ten years ago. They may get their wish in the form of new Haitian hired help.

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Sounds like a real possiblity.