The statement to the press by Randall Robinson commends President Clinton on his effort to restore democracy to Haiti and the political courage this has required. Robinson expressed relief that restoring democracy in Haiti is possible without a hostile intervention. This is mutually beneficial to Americans as well as to the legitimate government of Haiti and to President Aristide. Under the agreement, the key members of the high command, Messrs. Cedras, Biambi, and Francois, will be allowed to retain their assets and stay in the country, and will receive a general and complete amnesty. In violation of the terms of UN Security Council Resolution 940, the sanctions apparently will be lifted...
The statement to the press by Randall Robinson commends President Clinton on his effort to restore democracy to Haiti and the political courage this has required. Robinson expressed relief that restoring democracy in Haiti is possible without a hostile intervention. This is mutually beneficial to Americans as well as to the legitimate government of Haiti and to President Aristide. Under the agreement, the key members of the high command, Messrs. Cedras, Biambi, and Francois, will be allowed to retain their assets and stay in the country, and will receive a general and complete amnesty. In violation of the terms of UN Security Council Resolution 940, the sanctions apparently will be lifted immediately. Under that resolution, sanctions were not to be lifted until President Aristide returned home. In addition, the military high command has until October 15 to step down. Last July at Governors Island, General Cedras and President Aristide reached an agreement pursuant to which General Cedras and the high command were to have stepped down, almost exactly one year ago; in October, Cedras refused and bought himself another year. Robinson says that, under the terms of this agreement, the Haitian parliament is to pass a general amnesty, followed by a deadline of October 15, the resignation of the members of the high command. Robinson says it is highly unlikely that the parliament can be convened, inasmuch as most of the pro-democracy members of parliament are in hiding. Robinson says the Ton Ton Macoutes had by then become a metastasizing tradition of cruelty and meanness in Haitian society. With the overthrow of Jean-Claude, these Macoutes simply disappeared into the fabric of Haitian society and then reemerged later, more murderous than before. The statement says if Haiti is to have any chance in joining the rest of the English-speaking Caribbean with stable, middle-income, civil democracies, then it will need to do something about its army.
