U.S. May Send Troops to Help Haitians Rebuild

The Clinton Administration is considering sending a small contingent of U.S. troops to Haiti, mainly to help with reconstruction efforts, if the United Nations succeeds in brokering a settlement this week that would restore democracy to that strife-torn nation.

The plan, described by senior U.S. officials, was disclosed as U.N. envoy Dante Caputo resumed negotiations with Haiti’s military-backed government in hopes of securing agreement for the return of democratically elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

It was not immediately clear whether Caputo would win agreement from the Haitian generals this time, but both the United Nations and the Clinton Administration have said they are confident a solution is near.

Although U.S. troops, initially fewer than 100, would be limited to noncombat roles, strategists said they hope Washington’s apparent willingness to dispatch them will help prod the generals to sign an accord soon.

One of the current Haitian government’s remaining concerns is that its generals might fall prey to street mobs if the army relinquishes power without any safeguards. The hope is that the presence of U.S. troops on the island would have a calming effect.

At the same time, officials said that the bulk of any aid that Americans would deliver would be handled through the Haitian military--for rebuilding military clinics and other medical facilities and in transporting food and medicine to be given out by the Haitian army.

The peace plan being brokered by Caputo essentially calls for the military-backed government to relinquish power and permit the return of Aristide, whom it ousted in a September, 1991, coup. Aristide already has agreed to the proposed settlement, but the military-backed government has been withholding final approval, pending resolution of some outstanding issues, including details of how he will share some of his new political power.

It also is seeking a broader guarantee of amnesty than Aristide has been willing to provide, protecting those who have committed murder and other crimes in the turmoil since the coup, as well as those accused of illegal political actions.

The head of the Atlantic Command, which is in charge of the military’s contingency planning involving Haiti, has been alerted by the Pentagon to the possibility that the United States might send troops as a humanitarian gesture.

But strategists stressed that no decisions have been made and that the U.S. troops would be dispatched only with the approval of the new Haitian government.

“The plans are drawn up but nobody’s out there waiting at the airport yet,” a military official said.

The United States frequently deploys military forces to foreign countries to help with construction and humanitarian projects. The Atlantic Command conducted a similar operation in Haiti in August, 1991--a month before the coup.

Officials said the proposed deployment now would be limited to engineers, medical personnel, military police, lawyers and civil affairs experts, mostly from reserve units--but that some combat troops might be sent to provide security.