U.S. to Push Aristide Toward Solution in Haiti

The United States, along with Canada, France, and Latin American and Caribbean nations, is sending a delegation of senior envoys to Haiti tomorrow to press the country’s embattled president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, to reach a political compromise with his foes, U.S. officials said yesterday. The diplomatic initiative is the highest-profile effort by the Bush administration to resolve the growing crisis in Haiti. “The bottom line is, we have to see the formation of a new government that will perform fully its constitutional role,” a State Department official said. He added that the government must “be able to inspire confidence by virtue of its composition and independence.” Assistant Secretary of State Roger Noriega will be the U.S. representative in the mission. With security conditions rapidly deteriorating, the State Department also urged U.S. citizens to leave Haiti, and the Pentagon announced it is sending a four-man military team to assess security at the U.S. Embassy there and prepare for a possible emergency evacuation. Full Story