Elizabeth Dole: “It is high time for cooler heads to prevail on U.S. policy toward Haiti. We seem to be heading for another foreign…”

“It is high time for cooler heads to prevail on U.S. policy toward Haiti. We seem to be heading for another foreign policy mistake. The administration appears to be lurching toward the use of U.S. military force in Haiti, without clearly considering the consequences of such action and the history of United States involvement in Haiti. Moreover, the administration is not taking into account the views of the majority of Members of Congress who believe that any deployment of forces in Haiti should be authorized by the Congress. Today, there are reports, too, of opposition among a number of our friends in Latin America. United States policy in Haiti needs to be reviewed, and the first step toward rational consideration of United States options in Haiti should be the establishment of a bipartisan factfinding commission, an idea I have proposed to the President. The findings of such a commission could form the foundation for a new policy. Everyone wants to see democracy return to Haiti. However, it is not in the United States interest for Haiti to become a de facto United States colony. It is not in the U.S. interest to send American troops to put President Aristide back in power. I would certainly urge the President to support an independent commission as a critical first step toward a policy that does reflect U.S. interests.”