Kucinich on Haiti
From the campaign's issues page on Haiti:
What we are witnessing in Haiti is a clear failure of U.S. foreign policy under the Bush Administration and a possible violation of international law. Whatever the circumstances of President Aristide's departure, it is abundantly clear that the Bush Administration wanted him gone.
We need an independent investigation into the circumstances of his departure--one designed to determine whether he "resigned," as the Administration claims, or was forcibly removed, as some evidence suggests. And this investigation must be undertaken by the United Nations, the OAS, and the Caribbean community, not the Bush Administration. I would further suggest that that investigation extend to the roles that the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund played in creating the framework for failure. Pressure should be applied to the World Bank and the IMF and donor nations to unblock badly needed financial assistance. Order must be maintained by a United Nations-led coalition of nations while the leaders of Haiti, through their Constitution, can restore a Constitutional government through the electoral process. That same UN-led coalition must support, mediate, and monitor the Haitian election from start to finish.
The UN has already begun providing humanitarian assistance. This is a vital undertaking, and the UN peacekeeping forces must see it as a priority. We must also be very aware of the attempts that will be made to privatize, as they were in Iraq--to install the Haliburtons and the Bechtels as the "rebuilders" of Haiti--and be prepared to see to it that these attempts do not succeed. Finally, but perhaps foremost, the United States must change its immigration policy toward Haiti. "Equal treatment for Haitians." People fleeing for their lives, seeking refuge or asylum or simply opportunity, should not be thrown in immigration jails and then forced to return to face the dangers and the turmoil they are trying to escape. It is an absolute outrage to the principles of human rights that the Bush Administration has singled out Haitians from among all other peoples for "special" treatment. It is discrimination. It is racist. It is unconscionable. And it must end.
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