Officials unveil plan to help Haiti
BY WILLIAM E. GIBSON South Florida Sun-Sentinel
WASHINGTON - (KRT) - The United States plans to jump-start the Haitian economy largely by funding a three-year jobs program to rebuild schools and other buildings in the riot-torn country, a top State Department official said on Wednesday.
The Bush administration also generally supports boosting humanitarian aid to Haiti as well as efforts in Congress to provide trade preferences for Haitian goods, said Roger Noriega, assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs.
Noriega said U.S. armed forces will continue to help maintain order in Haiti for at least nine months. He declined to speculate on how many troops will be needed while awaiting an assessment by UN officials.
The U.S. policy in Haiti following the departure of deposed President Jean-Bertrand Aristide is quite different from the American-dominated approach to the occupation of Iraq. U.S. officials are following the lead of Congress on some aspects of Haiti's redevelopment and allowing the UN to take a leading role on a future multi-national force to quell violence in Haiti.
"The key priority will be security," Noriega told a gathering of Haiti watchers hosted by the American Enterprise Institute.
Once the rule of law is established and corruption curbed, he said, the United States will consider a trade agreement similar to one already provided to Haiti's neighbor, the Dominican Republic.
Meanwhile, the United States will provide technical assistance and humanitarian aid, he said, while urging Haiti's new government to privatize segments of the economy, starting with its port.
"The United States will begin an urgent three-year job creation program, which will provide tens of thousands of jobs, including rebuilding the municipal infrastructure," he said. "The project will rehabilitate schools and public buildings that were destroyed by rioting and burning, and people will begin to see that Haiti is returning to normal and building for the future."
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© 2004 South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
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