Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, October 19, 1993 TAG: 9310190182
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: From The Associated Press, Knight-Ridder Newspapers and The Washingto
DATELINE: PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI LENGTH: Medium
President Clinton ordered that U.S. warships sent to enforce the embargo move closer to shore and ordered a freeze on U.S. assets of Haiti's ruling military and police officials.
Rightists mixed threats against the outside world with gifts of chrysanthemums to reporters, while the army's commander, Lt. Gen. Raoul Cedras, suggested new talks on his departure. But the United States said Cedras was stalling.
"I think the solution is in dialogue. Dialogue must lead us to national reconciliation," Cedras said on the "McNeil-Lehrer NewsHour" on the Public Broadcasting Service.
The United States also backs a compromise, but one within the existing U.N. plan. U.S. Ambassador William Swing said late Monday that the United States would urge the Haitian parliament to consider a general amnesty law for soldiers who committed crimes after the 1991 coup that ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
Cedras also said the United States should not try to reinstall Aristide by force. Aristide is scheduled to return Oct. 30 under terms of a U.N. accord.
"That solution would bring suffering, blood and tears to my country," Cedras said.
In Washington, Clinton said Monday that he will "strenuously oppose" any congressional attempts to limit his power to send troops to Haiti or Bosnia.
Such a move may come as early as today, when Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole, R-Kan., is expected to propose requiring congressional approval before U.S. troops are sent to Haiti. A similar proposal on Bosnia is expected soon after.
Aides to Dole met with White House, State Department and Pentagon officials into the evening in an attempt to draft a proposal that would limit U.S. military action in Haiti and still be acceptable to the White House.
Stanley Schrager, a U.S. Embassy spokesman, said Cedras must honor the U.N.-mediated pact he signed in July to return Aristide, who was ousted after becoming the nation's first democratically elected president.
Many Haitians have fled the capital, fearing violence by army-supported Aristide opponents or a possible intervention by U.S. forces. An army broadcast urged citizens not to worry about the embargo or the U.S. warships.
"I'm not saying that a military intervention is imminent, but clearly there is always that risk," Schrager said.
Clinton refused to rule out the possibility of using military force, but expressed hope that the stepped-up sanctions would work.
Keywords:
INFOLINE
by CNB