Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is aiming to bolster the United States’ economic and diplomatic ties with Caribbean nations while seeking to repair a frayed U.S. relationship with the region.
Rice is meeting today (Wednesday) in the Bahamas with 14 foreign ministers and the secretary-general of the Caribbean Community and Common Market, a regional trade bloc known as Caricom.
On the agenda were discussions of how the United States could work with the Caribbean countries to urge democratic change, enhance economies, strengthen security and improve disaster preparedness.
The brief Caribbean trip also was intended to alleviate friction between the Bush administration and Caribbean leaders over the ouster of former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in 2004.
“This is part of her effort to get this relationship back where it should be,” said Tom Shannon, assistant secretary of state for the Western Hemisphere. “I think we’re just about there.”
Caribbean leaders have accused the United States of being an accomplice in Aristide’s toppling. He fled Haiti amid a bloody rebellion and his supporters contend the United States forced him from office. The Bush administration says he left voluntarily.
U.S. troops were sent to Haiti after Aristide’s departure and remained there until U.N. peacekeepers were deployed. By the end of 2006, the United States will have provided $500 million in aid to Haiti over three years.
