The Assistant Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere Brian A. Nichols said Thursday that the U.S. State Department recognizes the role of the Montana Accord in efforts to resolve the Haitian crisis.
At a hearing held by the Congressional Foreign Relations Committee, Nichols said he recognizes that the Montana group is playing an important role in building Haiti’s future. “We encourage them to continue their efforts. We want to remain engaged with them and other actors in the Haitian political scene,” said Nichols, who reiterated the Biden administration’s support for Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry.
Questioned by the president of the Haitian Caucus, Andy Levin, on the support of the State Department to the head of the Haitian prime minister despite allegations on his possible involvement in the assassination of Jovenel Moise, Brian Nichols did not want to go too far in his answer, contenting himself with referring the deputy of Michigan to the U.S. Department of Justice, which is involved in the investigation of the murder of the 58th Haitian president. The diplomat nevertheless affirmed that he has not received any information on the possible involvement of Ariel Henry in this heinous act.
The Congressman from Michigan’s ninth district, who has devoted nearly all of his time to the Haitian crisis, urged the State Department to join with political and civil society organizations to achieve a transitional government in Haiti. For Andy Levin, the Montana Accord deserves U.S. support as “the best path to a true democratic transition in Haiti.”
“Instead of supporting Henry, the State Department should support the tremendous work being done across Haitian society to bring about a credible transition to democratic rule in Haiti” by the Commission for a Haitian Solution to the Crisis and the Montana Accord it produced. Given the immense challenges that the Haitian people face every day,” concluded Andy Levin, who applauded the U.S. Department of State for recognizing the importance of the Montana Accord in finding a solution to the crisis in Haiti.