Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank my distinguished colleagues for the timely and telling remarks they have made concerning the deplorable plight of Haitian refugees both in this country and upon their return to Haiti. I would like to address the more general issue of U.S. foreign policy toward Haiti and the Caribbean basin. In spite of good intentions and financial support promoting development programs. I believe that our policies have exacerbated the Haitian refugee problem and actually contribute to economic and political instability throughout the region. Beyond our immediate concern for Haitian refugees and the reprehensible. political and economic conditions within Haiti. the United States has ample reason for being concerned with the present and future of the entire Caribbean basin including Central America. Many of us are aware of the importance of the Caribbean as a major transshipment point for oil from the Middle East. and as a producer of agricultural goods and raw materials such as sugar. coffee. and bauxite. Of course. we need not mention its obvious tourist attractions.
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refugee refugees