An Invasion of Haiti is Averted by Accord To Restore Aristide

An Invasion of Haiti is Averted by Accord To Restore Aristide

1993- President Clinton needed a significant foreign policy victory to boost his sagging political career, and Haiti seemed to be the "perfect opportunity" to do this.

1994- Even after a year of frenzied negotiations no tangible results were in sight and the "perfect opportunity" seemed to be turning in to yet another nightmare for the President.

However , this was not to be and President Clinton turned near defeat in to a resounding victory, with the help of former president and skilled negotiator, Jimmy Carter.

September 19, 1994- Today the threat of invasion is over and, "a society (American society) that doesn't rest comfortably with the burdens of imperialism can breathe easy".

American troops will enter Haiti as "peace keepers" and not as members of an invading force.

In order to arrive at a peaceful solution several concessions had to be made by U.S government negotiators and Haitian dictator, General Raoul Cedras.

1) The U.S government let General Cedras and his cohorts "save face" by allowing the military junta to step down, after their parliament passed a general amnesty for the military. If this had not happened the U.S government would have had to oust the ruling party by using force, and this would have made the junta look bad.

2) The U.S agreed to lift the economic sanctions imposed on Haiti as soon as possible.

3) The U.S also dropped it's insistence that General Cedras and two of his military commanders leave the country.

On it's part, the Haitian Junta agreed to hand over power to the democratically elected government of exiled Haitian leader, Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

The key to solving this complex problem was former President, Jimmy Carter. All through the crisis, Jimmy Carter stayed in direct contact with General Cedras, who he had come to know well while acting as an independent election- observer during the Haitian elections in 1993. Carter knew the situation on the ground and offered to act as a go-between. However, White House officials declined his offer initially. This was partly because they were upset that Carter had publicly disagreed with some of the current administration's policies as regards North Korea.

When negotiations between the U.S and the Haitian government broke down, President Clinton went on national television and announced that United States armed forces would soon invade Haiti. This move wasn't aimed at ending negotiations but at making a last ditch attempt to arrive at a peaceful solution.