Security Council Meeting On Haiti

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30126, 9 May 1963, Page 15

Security Council Meeting On Haiti

(NZ Press Association—Copyright;

NEW YORK, May 8.

. The United Nations Security Council will meet in urgent session today on Haiti’s complaint that it is being threatened by the Dominican Republic, the Associated Press reported. Tension between the two neighbouring Caribbean countries remains high, although the Dominican Republic is holding off its threatened invasion.

The Organisation of American States will also meet in New York today to consider measures aimed at resolving the Haitian crisis.

The Haitian Foreign Minister (Mr Rene Chalmers) arrived in New York last night and said he would protest to the United Nations at “the aggression of the Dominican Republic.”

In a Dominican broadcast last night. President Juan Bosch denounced the Haitian President. Dr. Francois Duvalier, as a mad tyrant. He indicated that thousands of Dominican troops poised on the Haitian frontier would remain there until the Duvalier regime yielded tn Dominican terms over Haitian refugees sheltering in the Dominican Embassy in Port-au-Prince. _ “The situation is not easy,” President Bosch said. “We don’t know what will happen. but we know that Duvalier has killed many people and terrorised many people, and has caused several bloodbaths. We have to be careful and vigilant.” President Bosch charged that Haitian guns and soldiers hidden in trees still menaced the Dominican Embassy in Port-au-Prince. Mr Chalmers said in Port-au-Prince yesterday that the Haitian Government was meeting Dominican demands to guarantee the safety of the refugees. All would be allowed to leave “little by little” after checks into their backgrounds had been made Americans Leaving The United States ordered the evacuation of up to 1500 American citizens from Haiti today. Plans were reported in hand also to remove about 200 British subjects if necessary. The State Department announced yesterday it had ordered the 220 dependents of United States Government employees stationed in Haiti

to leave and said that other American citizens now in Haiti estimated at about 1300—were being urged to depart. Mr Chalmers said: “There is no danger for Americans or for any other foreigners in Haiti today. Haiti is completely calm." But the United States went ahead with plans for a fleet of chartered airliners to begin the evacuation this morning, ferrying the Americans from Port-au-Prince to Miami.

British Embassy sources said the Charge d'Affaires in Port-au-Prince had been given discretion to proceed with evacuation of 200 British subjects there if he thought it necessary. If they do leave, the Britons probably will travel on American planes. "Government Disintegrating" The American decision to evacuate was due to the internal situation in Haiti, the

Under-Secretary of State (Mr G. BaU) said yesterday in a television interview. The Haitian Government seemed to be “in a kind of progressive disintegration." Mr Ball said the United States was maintaining its Embassy in Port-au-Prince and had “no present plans'* to break diplomatic relations with Haiti. The evacuation was a normal precautionary step tor toe protection of American lives.

“There is a general unrest, particularly in Port-au-Prince, where the Government seems ... to be in a kind of progressive disintegration,” Mr Ball said. Asked whether the State Department expected President Duvalier’s regime to fall quite soon, Mr Ball said there had been signs of disaffection in the Haitian military within the last few days, resulting from the removal of a great many officers by President Duvalier.