The United States and Canada are warning Haitian leaders their country faces dire economic consequences if it can't find a way out of an impasse over contested elections.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said a U.S. Senator's call to cut off direct aid to Haiti should be "heeded"� as a signal of American frustration - although she indicated the Obama Administration won't freeze aid just yet.

Haiti has been rocked by riots since the country's election commission announced first-round results. Many Haitians believe that vote-rigging and fraud allowed Jude Celestin, the protégé of current president René Préval, to beat out popular singer Michel Martelly for a place in a January runoff.

The election crisis is provoking major aid donors like the United States and Canada to issue veiled warnings that their support will be affected if the election crisis is not resolved.

Ms. Clinton said Haiti's leaders should not ignore the signal sent by Democrat Senator Patrick Leahy, who called for direct U.S. aid to Haiti's government to be frozen.

"Senator Leahy ... is expressing a strong frustration that you will find not only in the Congress but in our government and the American people, that as we approach the one-year anniversary of the Haitian earthquake, there hasn't been the kind of co-ordinated, coherent response from the government of Haiti that is called for."

Mr. Leahy's call for a freeze "should be heeded by the leaders of Haiti,"� she said. "This is a very strong signal that we expect more and are looking for more."�

Ms. Clinton, however, said Washington is still working to help resolve the election crisis through technical advisers for a recount, and is concerned about hurting the Haitian people because of alleged vote irregularities.

She made the comments after a meeting with Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon and Mexico's Patricia Espinosa in Wakefield, Que., where the Haiti was discussed at length.

Mr. Cannon, who has offered Canadian help for a recount of the Haitian vote, also warned Haitian leaders the election crisis could hamper reconstruction efforts. "There will not be any economic progress if there is no stable government,"� he said.

"I think the international community cannot do everything in Haiti. It is extremely important that the government of Haiti and the people of Haiti assume their responsibilities and ensure that democracy continues in Haiti."

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Published Monday, December 13, 2010.