U.S. delegation to Haiti met all three claimants to power -White House

Representatives of the White House National Security Council and the departments of Homeland Security, Justice and State traveled to Haiti in response to Haiti's request for security and investigative assistance after the slaying of Haitian President Jovenel Moise. Emily Horne, a spokesperson for the National Security Council, said the delegation met with Acting Prime Minister Claude Joseph and Prime Minister-Designate Ariel Henry in a joint meeting, as well as Senate President Joseph Lambert.

U.S. officials sent to Haiti by President Joe Biden's administration in the wake of the assassination of its president met with three politicians who have all staked claims to lead Haiti's government, the White House said on Monday. Representatives of the White House National Security Council and the departments of Homeland Security, Justice and State traveled to Haiti in response to Haiti's request for security and investigative assistance after the slaying of Haitian President Jovenel Moise.

Emily Horne, a spokesperson for the National Security Council, said the delegation met with Acting Prime Minister Claude Joseph and Prime Minister-Designate Ariel Henry in a joint meeting, as well as Senate President Joseph Lambert. In her statement on Monday, Horne said the U.S. representatives encouraged open and constructive dialogue to reach an agreement to enable Haiti to hold free and fair elections.

She also said the delegation reviewed the security of critical infrastructure with Haitian government officials and met with the Haitian National Police, which is leading the investigation into the assassination. Henry, a neurosurgeon who was named prime minister by Moise on Monday, two days before Moise was killed, said on Saturday he was now the highest authority in Haiti, not Joseph. Haiti's Senate on Friday nominated Lambert to be interim president.