THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, July 6, 1994 TAG: 9407060391
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: STAFF & WIRE REPORT
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Long : 104 lines
In a stark warning to Haiti that the United States is moving closer to an invasion if the ruling generals do not resign, the Navy announced that four amphibious assault ships from Norfolk will be sent to the Caribbean today.
The ships will carry a contingent of 2,000 Marines from North Carolina who will be prepared to evacuate Americans and other foreign nationals if the need arises.
At the same time, the Clinton administration slammed the door Tuesday on Haitian refugees, announcing that those picked up at sea no longer will be allowed into the United States under any circumstances but will be sent instead to camps in Panama and elsewhere in the Caribbean.
The deployment is a dramatic escalation of forces in the region - a total of 13 American and foreign warships will be in place by the end of this week.
However, William H. Gray III, President Clinton's special adviser on Haiti, denied that a U.S. invasion of Haiti is ``imminent,'' meaning not within a few days, he said.
But Gray asserted that ``the military option is on the table.'' He said the deployment of the Marines and the ships reflects concerns that Haiti's deteriorating political climate ``potentially poses a threat to the safety of Americans.''
Another senior official reiterated that no military action would be taken in the next few days. ``You're going to see a lot more stuff moving down there before they actually decide to go in,'' the official said. ``This is just preparation and maybe some saber rattling.''
Administration officials said Clinton will wait to see how the new rules on asylum-seekers work before making any decision on an invasion. One official said no military action would take place while Clinton was out of the country on his weeklong European economic summit.
The sudden decision to beef up forces off Haiti's coast was made with 72 hours' notice for Amphibious Squadron 4, which returned just 13 days ago from a six-month deployment to the Mediterranean Sea.
``The crew understands what they are doing,'' said Capt. Charles C. ``Skip'' Buchanan, the squadron's commodore. ``This is what we do. This is a way of life and everybody is ready to go.''
Sailing with the Inchon will be the amphibious transport dock Trenton, dock-landing ship Portland and tank-landing ship Spartanburg County. Together, they will form an amphibious group capable of landing forces ashore by helicopter and amphibious craft and evacuating hundreds of American and foreign nationals who want to leave Haiti.
About 1,000 Americans are believed to live on the island, with another 1,000 foreign nationals.
Buchanan, a former F-14 squadron commander, said his sailors and Marines are prepared to evacuate thousands of people from Haiti, if ordered to do so.
``We can take as many people as required and can handle pretty much any flow as necessary,'' he said.
He did not know how long they would be deployed, although they were loading supplies that would sustain them for 45 to 60 days.
The ships would be carrying normal medical supplies, plus a surgical team, a SEAL team, an explosive ordnance disposal team, a battalion landing team and about 20 helicopters.
So far, 414 Haitians have cleared screening on the hospital ship Comfort, at anchor off the coast of Jamaica. This group, and only this group, will be permitted to come to the United States, but so far none are here.
Under the refugee plan announced Tuesday, Haitians will be considered for residence in the United States only if they apply at the three U.S. consular stations in Haiti, Gray said. But ``those who take to the boats will not have resettlement possibilities in the United States.''
Clinton and his aides hope the new policy will shut off the massive stream of refugees leaving the island in small, often unseaworthy boats. About 11,000 have been picked up at sea by U.S. vessels in the past 11 days.
Boat people determined to be eligible for safe haven will be taken to camps in Panama, which has agreed to house up to 10,000 refugees for six months. The administration has reached agreements in principle to open camps on the islands of Antigua and Dominica for the same purpose, Gray said.
A total of 5,317 Haitians were at Guantanamo Bay Naval Station, Cuba, on Tuesday, with 3,792 en route. Of those, 3,247 were picked up Monday.
One Pentagon official acknowledged that despite Voice of America radio broadcasts that reach the island, Haitians are confused over what happens now to those who sail for the United States.
``We're going to have to do a hell of a job explaining,'' the official said, that interception by the Coast Guard is not a ticket to the United States. MEMO: Staff writers Jack Dorsey and Dale Eisman contributed to this story.
ILLUSTRATION: AP color photos
ABOVE: About 470 Haitians wearing life vests were found Friday in
the 55-foot wooden ``Merci-Jesus'' refugee boat off the coast of
Haiti.
LEFT: Angelique Williamson, the mother of three children who drowned
in Monday's boat accident, is comforted.
Map
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KEYWORDS: HAITI by CNB