Alan Simpson: “I wish to make a statement on Haiti. Of course, others have done that over the past weeks. I address it from a little…”

“I wish to make a statement on Haiti. Of course, others have done that over the past weeks. I address it from a little different aspect. Obviously, the situation in Haiti has been deteriorating, and that deterioration has severely accelerated in recent weeks. We read of these attacks by armed Aristide supporters on military outposts and of soldiers retaliating by indiscriminately shooting people on the beach and in boats. At least a dozen persons have been reported killed over a previous weekend. Press reports describe the hacked and mutilated bodies of Haitian citizens lying in the streets and alleys, and we read of rampant smuggling and profiteering by the military and its supporters. It is now very clear that General Cedras and the other military leaders have no intention at all of complying with the Governors Island agreement. I do support the administration's interdiction policy. I supported the policy when the Reagan administration instituted it in the 1980's, I supported it when the Bush administration broadened it in the 1990's, and I continue to support the Clinton policy today. It is the only rational and sensible--but not politically correct--method of dealing with illegal immigration from Haiti under all of the present circumstances.”