A small contingent of U.S. Marines arrived in Haiti February 29 to help keep order as a political transition is implemented.

President Bush ordered the dispatch of Marines at the request of interim Haitian President Boniface Alexandre after former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide left Haiti the same day for the Central African Republic.

The Marines are the lead element of a multinational force that will help provide stability in Port-au-Prince while the constitutional political process is sorted out. They will also help set the stage for the expected arrival of a United Nations multinational force, deliver humanitarian assistance, repatriate Haitian migrants who may be interdicted at sea and protect American citizens.

A February 29 Department of Defense (DOD) news release indicated that Secretary Donald Rumsfeld may order the deployment of additional U.S. forces in coming days to round out the U.S. contribution to the interim force.

The leadership of the force is still being determined.

United States Department of Defense
News Release

IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 29, 2004

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE STATEMENT ON HAITI

At the request of the new president of Haiti, President Bush has ordered the deployment to Haiti of a contingent of U.S. Marines as the leading element of a multinational interim force.

The mission of the U.S. forces being deployed is to secure key sites in the Haitian capital of Port au Prince for the purposes of:

-- Contributing to a more secure and stable environment in the Haitian capital to help promote the constitutional political process;

-- Assisting as may be needed to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance;

-- Protecting U.S. citizens as may be required;

-- Facilitating the repatriation of any Haitian migrants interdicted at sea; [and]

-- Helping create the conditions for the anticipated arrival of a U.N. multinational force.

The initial contingent of U.S. Marines is expected to arrive in the Haitian capital the evening of Feb. 29, 2004.

Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld has ordered additional U.S. forces to deploy as necessary over the next several days to fill out the U.S. contribution to the multinational interim force.

The final size of the U.S. contribution to the multinational interim force is to be determined. The United States, working with the United Nations, the Organization of American States and the Caribbean Community, is in contact with a number of countries that have expressed a willingness to contribute forces. The initial leadership of the multinational interim force will be the United States. The leadership of the final multinational force will be determined in the days ahead.