European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 16, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Pago 6 the stars. And stripes . Saturday january 16,1993clinton plan for haitians stuns activists by the new York times Miami a for advocates of haitian refugees president elect Clinton a announcement thursday that be plans to temporarily continue a Rush administration policy of the summary return of haitian boat people Falls just Short of an outright betrayal. For weeks refugee advocates who have urged a More compassionate treatment for haitians fleeing their country have spoken almost giddily of their expectations of dramatic policy changes. A Only three weeks ago they were promising that whatever was announced would be to our satisfaction a Leader of one human rights group based in new York Sidof the assurances by Clinton s advisers. Instead after having used terms like Quot illegal and Quot immoral to describe the Bush administration prac lice of sending refugees Back to Haiti without screening them to determine which of them May have had legitimate political reasons for fleeing Clinton tearing a huge new outflow from Haiti chose to maintain the program As the most effective Way to discourage an exodus. ,. While Clinton in a message addressed to haitians and haitian americans on thursday portrayed the policy decision As driven by concerns for people drowning at sea advocates for those seeking Asylum saw his decision As a Victory of what one refugee lawyer called the a professional bureaucracy that shaped and defended Bush a approach. Others said it represented a caving in to pressures from politicians especially from Florida who had begun a noisy Campaign warning of the perils they faced from a surge of poor immigrants. A it is a rehash of the old rationale of the Bush administration a said Jocelyn Mccalla executive director of the National coalition for haitian refugees in new York speaking of the motives invoked for the interdiction policy. A Clinton is starting off on the wrong foot. Whatever else he is doing he is behaving As if we can ignore the Law where haitians Are concerned Quot on March 2, the supreme court is scheduled to hear refugee coordinator Dennis Hawkins of the . Consulate counts haitian boat people As they line up at port a Prince Dock after being picked up at sea thursday by a us coast guard Cutter. Arguments in a Case that will decide the legality of the practice of summary repatriation a what Are Clinton a lawyers going to do go before the court and say they by Only denounced this same policy As illegal in the past for Campaign purposes a Mccalla said. Seeking to Dampen criticisms like that a Clinton transition aide who insisted on hot being identified said the new administration had faced the Prospect of �?o50,000 to 100,000 haitians seeking to come Here in the next few weeks a and had been forced to take an unpalatable action because a there is no other policy or plan directly in place to Deal with this  the aide also said that the Clinton administration would a be doing everything we can to make it safer for haitians in  he then outlined a number of measures including stepped up processing of Asylum requests in the capital and at new consular offices to be established in the Countryside that he said would prevent a new Rush of boat people while providing a Safe Avenue for those in genuine need of Refuge. Vice president elect at Gore left and president elect Clinton laugh at a thursday news conference. Gores influence with Clinton is said to have waned. Gore reportedly gets limited role by the new York times since the presidential election a1 Gore has been Given a sharply reduced voice in Bill Clinton a transition arrangements and choices for the Cabinet and faces an even smaller role As vice president when the administration begins according to an article in the new York times Magazine this sunday. Although Gore and Clinton had an outwardly close partnership during the Campaign there were strains that had to be smoothed Over for the tickets Sake the article says. Clinton was miffed when Gore in the vice presidential debate did not directly answer Dan Quayle a attacks on Clinton a integrity and character. A when they next met on the Campaign Trail the two. Men patched things up a the article says. A each recognized that theirs was a Beautiful political Friendship not to be risked Over misunderstandings and for the rest of the Campaign Gore went to great lengths to defend Clinton a  out since the election the article says Quot Clinton no longer needs Gore to Rescue  and while Gore has been one of a handful of people closest to the president elect during the transition Nis advice on major appointments w As followed Only once a in the selection of his former Senate aide Carol m. Browner As administrator of the environmental Protection Agency. From Campaign promises Little Rock Ark. A in the heat of the presidential Campaign it often seemed As if Bill Clinton Nad a Promise for everybody. He pledged to Rescue the a forgotten Middle class a expand head Start to cover All eligible children make health care and College available to All a a reverse the Bush administrations Haiti policy chop the deficit in half in four years and Cut the White Hotsic staff by 25 percent. That was just for starters. But now w Ith his inauguration just five Days away the president elect is retreating front some Campaign pledges and finding out that others will be difficult to keep because of budget constraints. The latest shift came thursday when Clinton said he would continue a for the time being Bush a policy of forcibly returning haitian refugees to their Homeland this despite an Adamant Campaign declaration that a this policy must not stand Linton insisted he was not Goingback on his word. A i still believe the policy should be changed. But i done to think we can do it on a dime on january the 20th,&Quot Clinton said hoping to head off a mass migration of haitians on the risky trip to Florida. Clinton and senior aides protest when it is suggested Clinton is abandoning Campaign promises. Most will be kept they say and those that Are being ditched or refined Are under review because of changing economic conditions and a bigger than expected Federal deficit. In the 10 weeks since winning the election Clinton also has hedged his promises to halve the deficit reduce the White House staff and give the Middle class a tax Cut. Clinton himself appeared half defensive and half indignant when pressed thursday i think that it would be irresponsible for any president of the United states not to respond to changing circumstances a president elect Clinton to explain his apparent Retreat from several major Campaign promises. A i think the american people voted for me because they. Supported the big things that we were running on a Clinton said. A i think that it would be irresponsible for any president of the United states not to respond to changing  As he comes under criticism Clinton is in Many ways a victim of his Campaign insistence on specificity. From his announcement speech to acceptance speech at the democratic convention Clinton insisted on including detailed policy proposals in virtually every major address leaving a lengthy list of promises that then were compiled in Nis Campaign Book putting people first. Clinton political advisers say the Public is far less concerned than the Media with reversals or shifts on any specific Promise a i done to think people Are out there with a scorecard having counted up his 102 commitments and scoring him said Clinton pollster Stanley Greenberg. Still Clinton the Man dubbed a pander Bear Quot by one primary rival repeatedly has found himself defending policy shifts. A i think 1 have to revisit it in Light of the bigger deficit a Clinton said wednesday in explaining Why his once solid pledge of a Middle class tax Cut was now a goal t have to put everything Back on the table because of the size of the