US Congress calls for cancellation of Haiti's international debt

Tuesday, April 29, 2008 at 09:38PM
TheSpook

The legislation, piloted by Florida Democratic Congressman Alcee Hastings, directs the US Secretary of the Treasury to work with international financial institutions to provide debt cancellation to low-income countries.

"With the passage of my amendment, Congress goes on record supporting the cancellation of Haiti's international debt to help alleviate poverty and increase stability throughout the country," Hastings said in a statement.  "This is an important initial step towards finally freeing Haiti from its onerous debt. "I remain committed to helping provide much needed resources and protection for Haitians in Haiti and within our own borders so that they may contribute to their country's recovery from years of political, economic, and environmental turmoil and put the nation on a sustained path to development."

Hastings is also in the vanguard in the fight to end "double-standard immigration practices as they pertain to Haitian migrants" and has authored the Haitian Protection Act, which would designate Haitian nationals in the United States as eligible for Temporary Protected Status (TPS).

Last week, he and 43 members of the Congressional Black Caucus wrote to President George Bush seeking an explanation as to why Haitian nationals have not yet been granted TPS and that the Bush administration "continues to refuse to provide an adequate explanation".

"The situation in Haiti - a nation that has historically been afflicted by violence and natural disasters - is increasingly desperate and volatile," he said.

"The United States government cannot turn a blind eye as food prices escalate out of control in the most impoverished nation in the Western Hemisphere," Hastings added.

Article originally appeared on (http://brownwatch.com/).