IV

103D CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. CON. RES. 260

Calling for the United States to propose and seek an international

conservatorship in Haiti.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

JUNE 24, 1994

Mr. BEREUTER submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was

referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Calling for the United States to propose and seek an

international conservatorship in Haiti.

Whereas the overthrow of Haitian President Jean-Bertrand

Aristide and the subsequent domestic turmoil has been

the subject of enormous concern to the international community;

Whereas Resolution 1080 of the Organization of American

States, the Santiago Declaration, affirms the right to

promote democracy, stability, peace, and development in

the hemisphere;

Whereas the United Nations Security Council has implemented a fuel and arms embargo in an effort to bring

about political change in Haiti;
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•HCON 260 IH

Whereas the United States Government has frozen assets and

revoked the travel privileges of individuals associated with

the ruling junta in Haiti;

Whereas the June 1993 Governors Island Accord, which

would have resulted in the retirement of General Cedras,

the return of constitutional government, and a comprehensive package of international development assistance, collapsed before implementation as a result of intransigence on the part of the Haitian military;

Whereas human suffering among the Haitian people has continued to escalate, with only 43 percent of the population

having access to safe water, and an infant mortality rate

of 95 per 100 births;

Whereas cases of malaria, typhoid fever, and acute respiratory infection have significantly increased over the

last year;

Whereas international humanitarian assistance efforts have

been able to provide food for no more than 19 percent

of the Haitian population, and this lack of access has resulted in a dramatic increase in malnutrition;

Whereas the internal means to respond to the humanitarian

needs of the Haitian population is virtually nonexistent;

Whereas even if the military junta were to surrender power,

Haiti would remain a food-deficit nation with a chronically unstable political and economic environment;

Whereas the political and civilian leadership of Haiti lack the

tools and the training to reassert public order and provide basic human services;

Whereas Haiti is appropriately categorized as one of the most

ecologically distressed areas in the world;
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•HCON 260 IH

Whereas Haiti’s condition and that of its people suggest it

is a tragically classic failed nation state; and

Whereas concerted international efforts will be required to

develop the economic and political institutions necessary

to permit Haiti to sustain its population and restore economic, social, and political progress: Now, therefore, be

it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That

3 (1) it should be the policy of the United States

4 at the United Nations, the Organization of American

5 States, and other international bodies to support

6 and advocate the creation of an international

7 conservatorship for Haiti;

8 (2) such an international conservatorship

9 should be responsible for, among other things, co10 ordinating and administering the proper delivery of

11 bilateral assistance from international financial insti12 tutions;

13 (3) the international conservatorship should be

14 of a fixed duration, and should seek to rebuild the

15 political, economic, and social institutions that are

16 the basic prerequisites of an effective government

17 and sustainable development;

18 (4) the international conservatorship should be

19 established only if the Haitian elected officials and

20 senior military officers voluntarily surrender to a
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•HCON 260 IH

1 properly designated international institution the re2 sponsibility for administering public services, includ3 ing security and military affairs;

4 (5) the properly elected civilian leadership of

5 Haiti should agree to work on domestic policy mat6 ters in the closest possible way with the inter7 national conservatorship; and

8 (6) the international conservatorship should be

9 created under the authority of the United Nations

10 Security Council, operating subject to a resolution

11 adopted by the Security Council and a budget ap12 proved by the United Nations General Assembly.

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