From: milo@scicom.AlphaCDC.COM (Michele Lord)
Newsgroups: co.general
Subject: Action for Haiti
Keywords: Clinton; refugees
Date: 13 Nov 92 04:38:31 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Alpha Institute, Aurora, CO.


Distributed by the Haiti Action Coalition (510) 655-1181

                     A CALL TO CLINTON

On Monday, November 16, let President-Elect Clinton know you want
               To Restore Democracy to Haiti

Fax or phone Clinton Headquarters in Little Rock, Ark. with the
following message
                   Phone: (501) 399-3971
                   Fax:   (501) 399-3799
-----------------------------cut here-----------------------------

President-Elect Clinton,

During your bid for the presidency you called the nation's
attention to the crisis in Haiti on several occasions. We trust
you will not forget that...

* On Dec. 16, 1990, President Jean Bertrand Aristide was elected by
an overwhelming 67% of the Haitian people in Haiti's first free and
fair democratic election. Seven short months after taking office
Aristide's government was overthrown by a brutal military coup.

* In the year since the coup, the military has unleashed an
unprecedented systematic campaign of violence and terror against
Aristide's supporters - the poor of Haiti. According to human
rights reporters in Haiti, over 3000 people have been killed by
military and paramilitary violence. 300,000 Haitians have been
displaced internally, 30,000 have fled to the Dominican Republic,
and at least 35,000 have risked their lives in rickety boats in a
desperate attempt to escape by sea - only to be picked up and
returned to Haiti by the United States Coast Guard.

* The international community led by the Organization of American
States made strong statements in support of Aristide's return
shortly after the coup. Yet more than a year later the situation is
completely stalled.

* The O.A.S. embargo on Haiti has been widely recognized as a
farce. The U.S. Coast Guard manages to intercept every tiny boat of
refugees fleeing Haiti, yet huge oil tankers slip in and out of
Haitian ports regularly. There is significant evidence that U.S.
companies are willfully breaking the embargo.

* Targeted, enforced economic sanctions, coupled with serious
diplomatic pressure, can bring the de facto government to its
knees.

* After one year, the U.S. and O.A.S. claims to support democracy
in Haiti have lost all credibility.

         Following your recent victory we look forward to a new
direction in U.S. policy towards Haiti. Earlier this year, you
strongly criticized the Bush Administration for its policy towards
Haitian refuges, a policy you described as a "callous response to a
terrible human tragedy." You further stated that this policy "must
not stand." You called on the Bush administration to "tighten the
embargo and to insist that our European Allies observe it,
particularly with regard to oil," You went on to state that you
"would give (Haitian refugees) temporary asylum until we restored
the elected government of Haiti."

We applaud your stance on these issues. Upon taking office you will
have the opportunity to make a change. We call on you to...

      Make the restoration of the democratically elected government
      of President Aristide to Haiti a top foreign policy priority

   Strengthen economic sanctions targeting Haiti's de facto government

   Halt the forced repatriation of Haitian refugees by the U.S.
Coast Guard - Grant Temporary Protected Status to Haitian refugees
already in the U.S. - including HIV+ refugees quarantined at
Guantanamo Bay.
	       Signed:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  Michele Lord              + If you have come here to help me,
                            + you are wasting your time.....
 Alpha Institute            + But if you have come because
                            + your liberation is bound up with mine,
 milo@scicom.alphacdc.com   + then let us work together.
                                          Aboriginal Woman
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Xref: sparky co.general:1743 co.politics:1920 boulder.general:1019