Haiti Crisis - Congressional Black Caucus news release

CBC Chairman Elijah Cummings Comments On Meeting With President Bush and Administration
Officials Regarding The Crisis in Haiti.

Washington - Today, U.S. Representative Elijah E. Cummings (D-MD), Chairman of the
Congressional Black Caucus, issued the following statement after Members of the Congressional
Black Caucus met with President Bush regarding Haiti.

"I sincerely appreciate President Bush meeting with Members of the Congressional Black Caucus
today to discuss the urgent need for the United States and the international community to
immediately address the political and humanitarian crisis in Haiti.  I would also like to thank
Secretary Colin Powell, National Security Director Condoleezza Rice and White House Chief of
Staff Andy Card for their willingness to work with us on this crisis.

"We conveyed to the President the urgent need for the United States to actively insert itself in the
crisis and for the President to personally become engaged in what may become a human
catastrophe in our own hemisphere.  We respectfully asked the President to use his office and his
voice to send a clear message to the rebels and thugs now set on overthrowing a democratically
elected government that the United States and the international community will not stand by and let
that happen.

"We hope that our meeting will spur the President to work with our allies abroad and the Members
of the Congressional Black Caucus to resolve this crisis.  The Congressional Black Caucus will not
rest until this situation is resolved and we stand ready to assist this Administration, in any way, to
defend the rule of law and the people of Haiti."

02/26/2004