6628: Pina comments and circulates...

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: kevin pina <cariborganics@hotmail.com>

January 5, 2001
Dear Friends of Haiti,
If you have been watching the news then you are aware of the recent
statements of President Clinton and other U.S. representatives about the
Haitian elections.The letter below is a sign on letter for both
organizations and individuals to express their concern that U.S.
representatives recognize the legitimacy of the elections of November 26
and the official results that name Jean-Bertrand Aristide as
president-elect.
The letter will be mailed to President Clinton, State Department
representatives in the U.S. and Haiti and Congressional members. It will
also be sent to major U.S. newspapers in hopes that it might be placed
before the presidential inauguration in Haiti, on February 7, 2001.
For more information on the elections, please contact me via email or
phone (301)699-0042 or visit the website of the ICIO at
www.quixote.org/haiti/elections.
Thank you,
Melinda Miles, Coordinator
Haiti Reborn/Quixote Center
_____________________________________________________________
To Whom It May Concern:
We, as individuals and organizations who support the Haitian struggle
for independence and participatory democracy, call on the United States
Government to recognize the legitimacy of elections held on November 26,
2000 in Haiti. We call for recognition of the overwhelming mandate
received by president-elect Jean-Bertrand Aristide. We reject the
campaign to discredit this important step towards democracy in Haiti.
The International Coalition of Independent Observers (ICIO), a coalition
of four U.S.-based non-profit organizations, deployed 24 observers in
four geographical regions of Haiti. These observers, all volunteers from
the U.S., Canada and Europe, reported voter participation rates from
30-90% differing by location based on independent and on-site
observation. Kozepep, a national Haitian peasant organization, deployed
nearly 6,000 election observers. This popular organization reported
national voter participation averages of 60-65%.
Both of these groups, independent of governmental and international
structures, had findings in line with those of the official Haitian
Electoral Council. This Council is the only autonomous body, according
to the Haitian Constitution, with the authority to release official
election results. They have released figures stating that 60.5% of the
registered voters cast their votes, and that 92% of them voted
Jean-Bertrand Aristide into his second term as president of Haiti.
It is clear that President-Elect Aristide has a mandate from the people
of Haiti. Haitians suffered through years of a bloody coup only to see
Aristide return to them without the power to finish his term as
president. The time has finally come when he can return to office. A 92%
popular vote in an election declared democratic by international and
national observers should be enough for the world. The people of Haiti
should have their choice respected, not attacked, by the United States
government.
Sincerely,
_________________________________________________________________
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