Major Owens: “I think it is time for a brief review of our policy in Haiti. I would like to begin by stating that it is as desperate a…”

“I think it is time for a brief review of our policy in Haiti. I would like to begin by stating that it is as desperate a situation now as it has ever been. Just a few days ago a new wave of killing resulted in the destruction of a group of supporters of President Aristide. The military thugs who are in charge of Haiti are not impressed at all by the new imposition of sanctions by the United Nations. The United Nations sanctions have come much too late, and they are well prepared for them. Their stockpiles are higher. They have built a new highway which crosses the border into the Dominican Republic. The very rich and the military have no fears at all of being inconvenienced by this new embargo and set of sanctions imposed by the United Nations. Mr. Speaker, we have never seriously enforced sanctions, so they do not believe we will seriously enforce them now. The situation deteriorates each day, and the only solution is a more affirmative policy by this Nation. If we are serious about enforcing sanctions, one of the things that must be done immediately is to seal the border with the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic border is an open sieve through which flows everything that is on the list of the sanctions and the embargo. If we are serious, it seems to me that the United Nations resolution allows for the United Nations or any nations participating to take any necessary actions to see to it that the embargo is enforced.”