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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem #21.1 - Discussion Itemr' GI TY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA INI F:n-Or-FICF PAEMOnANDUM to Honorable Mayor and Members DATV January 14, 1993 of the City Commission sualrc.r Trip to Washington, P.C. regarding Haiti rru,� � ar_rr:raPNr,F^ Cesar H. Odio City Manager. E'NCI.r)!"tiR[S Attached please find the text of a radio broadcast by President - Elect Clinton regarding Haitian immigration. These statements reflect the briefing I received yesterday in Washington, D.C. If' you have any questions in the meantime, please contact me. .T ~- i*i -~ i 43 - ^~ y5 ~ fit I 7. ~ ~ 1 R ~ ~ M E !~! ~ L., •' ~" tw Office of the k~res~dent~t";Icct and 'V~ce Preslc~ent»E~cct FQr Rolaase: January 14, 1993 11:30 a,tp, CST Contact: Ooo Dee Myers aQ1-399-7175 TEY.T Ol: ~tADIO SRQADC~AST Sx PRESIDENT'-~'t,ECT CLINTON TO THE N~ITrAN pEOpL~ FoYlowinq is tl~e texfi a:~ a stataanent, taped by Arssidefat-Elect Clinton, being broadcegt today to the people of Na~iti and to Haitian communities 3n the United States. Audio is avaixable by calling 800-962-3131 Ladies and SentZemen, Greetings. This is President-elect sill Clinton. Y speak to you today, taeforo I take office, to express my strong support Per the return of demacratic govera:m4nt to Haiti, and to help prevo~t the tragedy of injuries arad death coming Prom boat departures from your country. I speak out oP my deep concern about the situation in Haiti, ahd my s~tro»g desire to promotes frQOdom, human rights, and progress to the Haitian pgapl®. Several years aga, Z saw personally the b®RUty of your land. I felt the warmth of your people and evmr since theta, I have wanted you tQ have freedom ahd doa:ocracy and eCOnomio opportunity, The United Nations and the Organization of ~-merican Staten, witi~h the full support aP the Unit®d States, are now working with ®rt®rgy~ apd detartai.natian to promote agreement among ail Haitian ppartfes on a political aolutian for yotiz nation. I spoke with president Aristida ~uat Last might and r~xpressed my full support for the negotiations seeking a political solution, which ho also welcomes. Progr$ss toward a settlefnent wi11 improve the huanan rights situation for a11, NAftians and create a bright®r future for your country. What is why, as wa work ts, restore democracy in Haiti, T urge Haitians to reanaita iaa Haiti and nod to leave by boat. Many hundreds oP iiaitiane, including women and children, have axready l~aat their lives in dangerous sea voyages, gust this week, soma 4t)4 Haitians, packed aboard one ship, are reported to have died,at sea. presid+~z~t Ar3stide has told m+a.that he also is deapD~• concerned about thq dangers of la~aving Kaiti by boat. Hs believes, a,s I ~• ~, that it~a batter for 8laitiane to~stay in Haiti, to participate paaceful7~, in building a batter future for your country. ~3- 27.1 P. O. Box 60gb, i.fftfr Rork, A!t 72203-8ug6 5flD-374.3322 it20 Vermont ,~-vertue, M.W., tiY~shf»gton, DC Ifl270 Ifl2-973.2600 r. _ a .. J ~?'N --~ 1 ~ - ~± 3 (= 1l 1 x :x: ~F 1 N 1~ ~r 1 ! t< id ',.~-' ~ u L: ?c; !~' !~ :,'~+ Page Two ' For Haitians who dca seek to ~.eava Haiti, }coat departure i:s a terrible and dangerous choice. I haws been deeply concerned by reports that many of you ~-re preparing to travel by boat to the United States, and 1 faa,C that boat departures in th~a near future would reaeult in farther txagia i~sB#es of life. . ~ For this reason, the practice of r®turning those who flee Haiti by boat will continue, for the time being, after I become President. Tho»e who do leave Haiti for the United states by beat will br31 stopped 2nd directly returned by the United States Coast Guard. To avoid the human tragedy of a boat exodus, I wanted to or~nvay !tale massage direatiy to the Haitian peoples 1®avinc~ by boat i>a not the route to tre®ciotm. Z also want to remind you that you do not nleed to risk your Tito to apply for refugee :status and entry into the United States. You can apply from within Haiti, through the United States Fanbassy in Port-au-prince. Mare than 7,000 Haitian citizens have already done sl© over the past year. And when I become President vn January 20, I will immediately begin to tasake it easier and safer for Haitians to apply for refugee status within -_ Haiti. In particular, I will substantially increase the numbers ®f United -- States otfiaial>s in Naiti, a3o that w® can speed up the application pracessa and make it east®r for tho>ae who live outside of Port-au~Prince to apply. -: I will alzeo work with the United Nations and the 4rganiaation of American st>etes to bring substl9ntial numbers of observers int© Kaiti to help pr®v~ent human rights abuses in Port-au-Prince and in other garts at your ~- ; counta.•y. - I hope that all those measuros convince Haitians not to leave Haiti by boat. Because of my deep concern about the dangers oP boat d®partura, let me repeat,'once more, what i said earliers The practice of returning thor~e who flea Haiti by boat will continual, for the time being, after Y becomo President. Those who leave Haiti by boat for the United Staten will ba intercepted and raturnad to Haiti by the U.S. Coast Guard. Leaving by boat is not tho route to Pr®edom. Restoring democratic government is the best hope for the people of Haiti., and I want to tell you again Z am oaan~nitted to work9.ng toward that goal. 93- 2'~• Z a r I V ._ Page Three ~~x z ~ : ~~ A~+~ r~~w y' ,~ \ ~` P ~! . ~ ' xn the weaake and t~antha to come, I wiii 8~aek additiozi~-1, ways to help Maiti~ans why gear persecution in Eiaiti, and to treat ail of then with fairness. But whatev®r Future actions I take, my polioiaa wi,li continue to pro~aote the return of damcor~sy~ to Naiti, to discourage the danga~xoue practise og boat departure, and to expand opportunities fox the people Of t~aiti to make appl~.catione for rofugeo r~tatue fray, within their owtt country. We all have new hc~paa that thq negotiation effort of tk:e United Naticane and the ~Drgani~ation r,f American States wild. improv® the human rights situation in Haiti and elimingte the reasons far boat departures. To all Haitians, I urge you tv work with me and with President Arietide to brine democracy back to your couhtryo ~3A-3m-30~