Haitian government spent millions on lobbying U.S.

Haiti’s government, while controlled by President Jean-Bertrand Aristide and his party, spent $7.3 million between 1997 and 2002 lobbying the U.S. government as more than 80 percent of the country was impoverished.

During this time, U.S. funding to Haiti — a typical measure of lobbying success — declined, and its economy foundered, fueling his opposition’s successful effort to depose Mr. Aristide last week for the second time in 15 years.

“I’ve always been critical of the Haitian government for that. It was a waste of money,” said Robert Maguire, Haiti specialist at Trinity College in Washington.

“Some of it is scandalous. I think the Aristide government would have been better served if it had spent the money to build its embassy [staff] up. All the Caribbean governments do it. They all think they need some big name to lobby in the United States.”

Haiti’s island neighbor, the Dominican Republic — with a population of 8.4 million compared with Haiti’s 7 million — spent $1.18 million on lobbying for the same period, according to the most recent records required to be filed with the Justice Department by foreign agents.

Honduras, a country of 6.5 million, spent around $815,000 on lobbying over that five-year period, the records show.

“What he got for that money is for [Democratic U.S. Reps.] Maxine Waters and Charlie Rangel to speak out for him,” said Garry Pierre-Pierre, founder and publisher of Haiti Times. “Otherwise, I’m not sure what he got. There was some money that was disbursed through this effort. But most of the money even then went for nongovernmental projects.”

Mr. Rangel and Mrs. Waters, as well as the unseated president himself, this week have accused armed U.S. security agents of forcing Mr. Aristide to resign under the threat of violence. The Bush administration has refuted the claim, saying Mr. Aristide signed paperwork relinquishing his post before being flown from the country for his own safety.

“I don’t even like Aristide and I have not talked to any Haitians about Haiti except Aristide,” Mr. Rangel said. “I just like the rule of law. We have never said that we supported Aristide.”

Mrs. Waters did not return calls, and the Haitian Embassy in Washington refused to comment on the lobbying efforts and the “kidnapping” claims.

Haiti, the world’s oldest black republic, has been a project of black activists and lawmakers in the United States, many of whom are friends with Mr. Aristide. After being thrown out of office by an internal coup in 1991, Mr. Aristide found asylum in Washington until he was reinstated by a U.S.-led effort in 1994.

Some, including Mrs. Waters, have made trips to the country over the past month as rebels descended on the president’s palace in the capital city of Port-au-Prince.

The lobbying money Haiti spent is accounted for in general statements, such as “contacted members of Congress, U.S. government officials and Haiti government officials to discuss ways to move the democratic process forward in Haiti, resumption of aid to Haiti and other issues regarding Haiti,” according to the records.

Most of the lobbying money, $5.38 million in that period, went to the Florida law firm of Kurzban, Kurzban, Weinger & Tetzeli, which served as Haiti’s general counsel in the United States.

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