Haiti’s Preval Inaugurated

* Thank you for your Feb. 8 article on the installation of President Rene Garcia Preval in Haiti.

I was working with the OAS as an election monitor during the recent elections that brought Preval to power. Although voter turnout was no higher in these past elections than voter turnout in other democratic countries, Haiti is on the road to selecting its own leaders and securing a future based on self-determination.

Why are fellow democratic countries dropping the ball now and deciding that unless Haitians follow an outside lead on how to build their country, foreign aid will be withheld? Haitians have worked hard to arrive at this point in the their history and need our continued support to overcome their problems as the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. The U.S. Agency for International Development needs to be pressured to release unconditionally Haiti’s $4.6 million in U.S. aid.

ABBY EATON

Global Exchange

San Francisco

* You quote Preval as saying, “We’ll also have to consolidate our democracy and reinforce the institutions. .J.J. To succeed, we must feel secure.” Not surprising. During the three military coup years, some 4,000 people were murdered. There were hundreds of cases of rape, torture, beatings and arson. Many people were obligated to live in hiding. The Haitian people need to know that these violations will be prosecuted in order to feel secure. U.S. administration officials have stated that establishing an effective judicial system will be essential to the consolidation of democracy.

Why, then, has the U.S. government refused to return to the Haitian government the many thousands of documents seized 16 months ago by U.S. troops from the headquarters of Haitian military and paramilitary forces? These documents are essential to the location of weapons caches and to the identification of human rights violators acting with impunity during the three years of the coup. The delay in the return of these documents gives credence to the suspicion that they will reveal ties between U.S. intelligence agencies and Haitian miliary and paramilitary groups. Such ties, if they exist, must not be covered up at the expense of a democratic and secure Haiti.

MERILIE ROBERTSON

Canoga Park