Republican lawmakers holding up funding for Haiti

REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS Friday said the Biden administration “owes Congress a lot more details in a more timely manner before it gets more funding,” for Haiti even as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken Friday warned that the Frenchspeaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country continues to face a political and humanitarian crisis.

Representatives Michael McCaul, Republican chairman of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, and Senator Jim Risch, the top Republican on Senate Foreign Relations, outlined their position in a joint statement as Washington was on the verge of announcing more humanitarian aid for Haiti.

“Given the long history of US involvement in Haiti with few successful results, the administration owes Congress a lot more details in a more timely manner before it gets more funding,” the two Republican legislators said in their joint statement.

Blinken, who is on a visit to Austria, told reporters that most of the parties for Haiti’s transition council have named their representatives.

On Monday, Guyana’s President and CARICOM chairman, Dr Irfaan Ali, told reporters in Jamaica that an agreement had been reached that would allow for Prime Minister Ariel Henry to step down and for a transitional governance arrangement “which paves the way for a peaceful transition of power, continuity of governance and action plan for near term security and the road to free and fair elections”.

Ali said that it was also agreed that there would be the creation of a transitional presidential council comprised of seven voting members and two voting observers.

Those with votes include the ‘Pitit Desalin’ party headed by Jean-Charles Moise, the EDE party of former prime minister Charles Joseph; the Fanmi Lavalas party; the December 21 coalition led by Henry; the Montana Accord group; and members of the private sector.

The non-voting members will be represented by one member from civil society and one member of the interfaith community.

But, Moise said his party and allies have completely rejected the proposed seven -member Council outlined by CARICOM and that “our three -member Council will soon be installed by any means necessary”.

The US State Department said it expected that members of the transition council would be appointed this week and Blinken told reporters “this is never going to be smooth and never going to be linear.

“So that’s a work in progress, but we’ve seen that move forward,” Blinken said.