According to a U.S. State Department press release, U.S. Secretary of State Antony John Blinken has endorsed a proposal, developed in partnership with the CARICOM and Haitian stakeholders, to accelerate political transition through the creation of a broadly representative and independent presidential college.
This presidential college would be responsible for "guiding the country towards the deployment of a Multinational Security Support Mission (MMS) in Haiti and the holding of free and fair elections".
According to US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, during his telephone conversation with Ariel Henry on Thursday, March 7, 2024, Blinken invited him "to support this proposal, in the interest of restoring peace and stability in Haiti, so that Haitians can return to a daily life free of violence and despair".
Discussions revolved around the political, security and humanitarian crisis currently raging in Haiti.
According to the statement, "for more than a year, the United States has encouraged Prime Minister Henry and other key actors in Haiti to reach a compromise, which would break the current political impasse".
Since Thursday, February 29, 2024, the political crisis in Haiti, combined with escalating armed gang violence and civil unrest, has created an unsustainable situation that poses a threat to citizens and the country's security, reports the U.S. State Department.
No consensus has yet been reached between the Haitian protagonists to reach a solution to the crisis, exacerbated by armed gang violence in recent days in the metropolitan area of the capital, Port-au-Prince.
In a statement dated Wednesday, March 6, 2024, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali said:
"Despite many, many meetings, we have not yet been able to reach any form of consensus between the government and the respective stakeholders from the opposition, the private sector, civil society and religious organizations."
Meanwhile, armed gangs continue to prevent de facto Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who is traveling abroad, from entering Port-au-Prince.
No effort is being made by the United States of America to help Ariel Henry leave Puerto Rico to return to his country, shaken by a coordinated movement of armed gangs demanding his resignation.
"We are not providing any assistance to help the Prime Minister return to Haiti," said a spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council (NSC).
On Wednesday, March 6, 2024, US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield urged Ariel Henry to "act urgently" to ensure "a political process leading to a presidential transition" in Haiti.
The American press consulted by AlterPresse say the United States of America has announced that it will not be sending troops to Haiti to counter the offensive by armed gangs, who have been carrying out coordinated attacks in Port-au-Prince against strategic infrastructures since Thursday, February 29, 2024.
According to a White House official quoted by the American newspaper Miami Herald "we are urgently mobilizing all the support, which we and the international community can immediately provide to Haiti, in particular to the Haitian National Police (PNH), to ensure that it is able to restore security for the good of the people".
U.S. and Haitian diplomatic officials have discussed the possibility of deploying U.S. special forces on an emergency basis to deal with the crisis, the newspaper reports.
In light of the deteriorating situation in Haiti, [Organization of American States (OAS) Secretary General Luis Almagro believes it is necessary to strengthen cooperative efforts within the United Nations (UN) to restore security in the country.
"It is irresponsible to continue delaying measures to restore security", Almagro said.
Posted March 13, 2024