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Humanitarian consequences of the crisis in Haiti |
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Wednesday, 25 February 2004 |
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U.N. experts warned last week that the political crisis in Haiti could cause a humanitarian disaster after the rebellion against President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. The U.N. mission sent to Haiti said that at least $84 million was urgently needed by the Caribbean nation, one of the poorest in western hemisphere, to solve the threat of an imminent humanitarian crisis. The New York Times meanwhile notes that as the Haitian crisis deepens, the Bush administration has placed itself in the unusual position of saying it may accept the ouster of a democratic government. The stance recalls the administrations initial response to the April 2002 coup attempt against another elected, populist leader in the hemisphere, President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela. American officials touched off an outcry by appearing to blame Chavez fo r the uprising and consulting with his would-be successors.
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