CRISIS IN THE CARIBBEAN : Christopher, Carter Meet in Bid to Ease Tensions

Secretary of State Warren Christopher met Saturday with former President Jimmy Carter in a 2 1/2-hour session in Plains, Ga., designed to ease tensions between the two men and between Carter and the Clinton White House over foreign policy issues--particularly the situation in Haiti.

Christopher, who has occasionally come under criticism for his handling of the Administration’s foreign policy, was said to have been critical of Carter’s involvement in negotiating the recent settlement with Haiti’s military regime.

Furthermore, the secretary was said to have been deeply hurt when Carter lashed out at the State Department last week, calling it incompetent and suggesting--incorrectly--that U.S. officials had not been talking to Haiti’s military leaders.

For their part, State Department officials and foreign policy experts in Congress had expressed some concern that Carter had not hewed closely enough to U.S. policy in negotiating the terms of an agreement in which Lt. Gen. Raoul Cedras and other Haitian military leaders would step down to allow the return of elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

A State Department official said Saturday that the meeting between Christopher, who once served in the Carter Administration, and the former President had been cordial and constructive.

Christopher expressed the Administration’s gratitude to the former President for “his help in negotiating the arrangements that allowed the U.S.-led force to land in Haiti without opposition,” the official said.

Based on the discussions, both men indicated that there will be an improvement in future communications and coordination between Carter and the Administration, the official said.