IV
107TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. CON. RES. 382
Urging the President to end any embargo against Haiti and to no longer
require, as a condition of providing humanitarian and development assist-
ance to Haiti, the resolution of the political impasse in Haiti, and
for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
APRIL 18, 2002
Ms. LEE (for herself, Mrs. MEEK of Florida, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON
of Texas, Mr. MEEKS of New York, Mrs. CLAYTON, Mr. PAYNE, Mr.
CONYERS, Mr. CUMMINGS, Ms. BROWN of Florida, Mr. OWENS, Ms.
JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Mr. HASTINGS of Florida, Mr. JEFFERSON, Mr.
HILLIARD, Mr. CLAY, Ms. CARSON of Indiana, Mrs. CHRISTENSEN, Mr.
DAVIS of Illinois, Ms. MCKINNEY, Mr. TOWNS, Ms. WATSON of Cali-
fornia, Mr. BISHOP, Mr. RUSH, Mrs. JONES of Ohio, Ms. KILPATRICK,
Mr. FATTAH, Ms. WATERS, Mr. FORD, Mr. SCOTT, Mr. WYNN, Mr.
THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, Mr. RANGEL, Ms.
MILLENDER-MCDONALD, Mr. CLYBURN, Ms. NORTON, Mr. LEWIS of
Georgia, and Mr. WATT of North Carolina) submitted the following con-
current resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Financial
Services, and in addition to the Committee on International Relations, for
a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the com-
mittee concerned
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Urging the President to end any embargo against Haiti
and to no longer require, as a condition of providing
humanitarian and development assistance to Haiti, the
resolution of the political impasse in Haiti, and for other
purposes.
•HCON 382 IH
Whereas Haiti is one of the most impoverished nations in the
Western Hemisphere;
Whereas the quality of life in Haiti is increasingly desperate
as HIV and AIDS infections are rapidly increasing to
epidemic proportions, such that over 300,000 infected
people have been identified and deaths resulting in such
infections have led to an orphan population of more than
163,000;
Whereas the infant mortality rate in Haiti continues to rise,
and only 1 in every 10,000 Haitians has access to a phy-
sician;
Whereas only 40 percent of all Haitians have access to pota-
ble water;
Whereas a dispute over the results of the parliamentary elec-
tions of May 2000 has led to a political impasse that is
stifling the country and the Organization of American
States has attempted to negotiate a settlement to the po-
litical impasse for nearly 18 months without success;
Whereas these negotiations have been marred by political vio-
lence, including several attempts to undermine the elected
government in Haiti, and the economic status of Haiti
continues to spiral downward;
Whereas the Government of Haiti has achieved significant
progress in resolving the impasse, including securing the
resignation of the declared winners of the disputed senate
seats and reducing the terms of office of all parliamen-
tary officials elected on May 21, 2000;
Whereas a resolution adopted by the Organization of Amer-
ican States on June 5, 2001, provides that the Secretary
General has the authority to normalize relations between
international financial institutions and the Government of
•HCON 382 IH
Haiti based upon progress to resolve the political im-
passe;
Whereas the United States has enjoyed nearly 200 years of
bilateral relations with Haiti and its successive govern-
ments;
Whereas the United States has recently levied an embargo of
all multilateral development assistance, including loans
approved by the Inter-American Development Bank and
ratified by the Haitian Parliament, pending a resolution
to the political impasse;
Whereas the Inter-American Development Bank acknowl-
edges that a major factor causing economic stagnation in
Haiti is the withholding of foreign grants and loans due
to the political impasse;
Whereas the United States sponsored a resolution on Janu-
ary 15, 2002, in the Permanent Council of the Organiza-
tion of American States, which calls for an expanded mis-
sion to Haiti;
Whereas the international community is funneling some bilat-
eral assistance to non-governmental organizations acting
in Haiti and has purposely bypassed any development ac-
tivity with the current Government of Haiti; and
Whereas a recent report from a special mission to Haiti from
the Caribbean Community recognized the need for a large
infusion of multilateral assistance and the need to work
through the Government of Haiti as an appropriate and
necessary process to achieve basic development and hu-
manitarian goals in Haiti: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That the Congress—
•HCON 382 IH
(1) urges the President to end any embargo
against Haiti and to no longer require, as a condi-
tion of providing humanitarian and development as-
sistance to Haiti, the resolution of the political im-
passe in Haiti resulting from the legislative elections
of May 2000;
(2) urges the President to direct the Secretary
of State to intervene directly on the behalf of the
United States and the people of Haiti to mediate the
political impasse, to provide constructive guarantees
to any resolution to the crisis, and to recruit positive
support from the Organization of American States,
the European Union, the Caribbean Community,
and other international bodies to sustain any nego-
tiated settlement;
(3) urges the President to direct the Secretary
of State to conduct an immediate review of United
States policy toward Haiti, including adequate and
appropriate consultations with the relevant commit-
tees of Congress;
(4) calls on the United States Agency for Inter-
national Development, the World Bank, the Inter-
national Monetary Fund, and the Inter-American
Development Bank to convene a meeting of all do-
nors and potential donors to Haiti, with the objec-
•HCON 382 IH
tive of launching a new and sustainable humani-
tarian initiative, including a lending program that
will help bolster the economic base of Haiti; and
(5) supports the expansion of the mission of the
Organization of American States to Haiti and calls
on the President to urge that this mission work con-
structively with the Government and people of Haiti
to advance their goals and aspirations and not the
objectives of other governments or international or-
ganizations.
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