8513: Highlights of Radio Metropole news (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Max Blanchet <maxblanchet@worldnet.att.net>

Haiti: Highlights of Radio Metropole news 1145 gmt 29 Jun 01
BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Jun 30, 2001


"The Morning News"; figures in brackets show the time elapsed since the
start of the programme

1. [00] Headlines.

2. [03] The OAS secretary-general will return to Port-au-Prince this
afternoon. He will accompany the political actors in their effort to form
the new CEP [Provisional Electoral Council], as foreseen for 1 July. Cesar
Gaviria and Caricom representative Albert Ramdin should facilitate the talks
between the sectors involved so that the electoral institution can be set up
on 1 July. The government is said to be ready to form the CEP, but the other
actors - the Convergence, the churches and civil society - continue to ask
for guarantees. Gaviria will have to work with those sectors to clarify the
situation before 1 July. Therefore, no progress has been made in the true
negotiations between FL and the Convergence since the OAS secretary-general
left Haiti on 26 June. And now, three days before the formation of the CEP,
nothing has really been done.

Reporter Jean Numa Goudou explains: In the light of the failure of the OAS
resolution on 25 June, Gaviria and Einaudi obtained a deadline extension for
the formation of the CEP. Sunday, 1 July, is now the new hope for the
victims of the Haitian conflict. Without wasting any time, both men returned
to Washington on 26 June. Sergio Romero Cuevas and Denote Modeste [phonetic]
remained in the field. These two special representatives remained to
followed up the 10th OAS mission, which was an exploratory one. On 27 and 28
June, all the Democratic Convergence did was to remind Cuevas and Modeste of
their position. There is no way they can take part in that CEP without
accompanying measures. That was the main point of the opposition message to
the latest OAS mission.

As for the Lavalas government, they have made a positive, but warning
speech: "We have received names from all the sectors and we are only waiting
for the Convergence to send a name," Guy Paul affirmed. Up to now, they only
talk about Patrick Brutus, of the Alternative for Change [AC], and Pastor
(Loreston), from a Protestant sector that is denounced by the Protestant
Federation. We know nothing about the eight names that the government has
received. The government does not intend to go beyond the 1 July deadline to
form a credible, honest, independent, and neutral CEP, with or without the
other sectors that have not yet officially designated the names of their
representatives.

3. [06] A meeting took place last night between the Democratic Convergence,
representatives of the churches, the OAS representatives, and civil society
to prepare and outline the discussions that will take place this weekend.
According to the Convergence's Micha Gaillard, this political coalition
insists that guarantees be given before the formation of the CEP, which
should be credible and independent. Gaillard specified that the churches and
the civil society said that they have not officially designated any
representative.

4. [09] OAS Secretary-General Cesar Gaviria is due to arrive in
Port-au-Prince this afternoon. It should be pointed out that this will be
the second visit by Gaviria in Haiti in a week. Time is running out, because
the new CEP should be formed on 1 July. Gaviria will attempt to bring both
parties together.

5. [12] The situation is intolerable and unbearable, that is the cry of the
Catholic and Episcopal Churches yesterday at Port-au-Prince cathedral during
the candlelit procession, in which more than 1,000 people participated.
Bishop Serge Miot and Bishop Jean Jacquet Durassaint, of the Episcopal
Church, denounced the division that is ravaging Haitian society and prevents
the protagonists to reach a political agreement. While deploring the current
state of the situation, the priests invited all the Christians to put
pressure on the protagonists so that they can sit at the negotiating table
and find a viable and durable agreement capable of getting the country out
of the impasse.

6. [17] Ads.

7. [21] Opinion poll.

8. [22] The European Union has encouraged the Haitian actors to do all that
is possible to facilitate the creation of the CEP on 1 July. In a
declaration published yesterday, the 15 EU member states gave their support
to the efforts undertaken by the OAS to resolve the crisis. The EU hopes
that a political agreement will be found between the Haitian political
parties, with the participation of civil society. They invite the actors to
take advantage of the new deadline set within the framework of the formation
of the CEP

9. [24] The human rights organizations are very critical of the justice
minister regarding the investigation dossier of Jean Dominique. Those
organizations doubt the willingness of the authorities to shed light on the
murder, and invite the head of state to pronounce on the case. Romney
Cajuste reports the following: Between the resignation of Examining Judge
Claudy Gassant and the promises of Justice Minister Gary Lissade, the human
rights organizations are asking for explanations. The time has come for
President Aristide to say if he is really concerned that justice should be
rendered to Jean Dominique.

10. [27] The budget vote still cannot take place in parliament. The Chamber
of Deputies is paralysed since the protest against the management of the
executive office by a group of legislators. Measures have been announced to
calm the situation. The zero-tolerance method might be applied against some
parliamentarians who are regularly absent. Jean Wilkens Meronne reports:
This initiative is considered a last resort by the office to force the
absentees to fulfil their parliamentary tasks. Among the sanctions that were
announced is the reduction of the salary of the absentee deputies.

This decision is welcomed by a group of Lavalas deputies, who said that they
are partisans of the law and moral principles. Wilner Content, from Jacmel,
and Simson Liberus spoke as follows: "Somebody who is being paid by the
state and does not come to work, I say that that person is a zenglendo
[criminal] and the zero-tolerance method should be applied in his case,"
Content said. "The names of those deputies should be published in the press
so that the population who elected them know what is going on. I am certain
that they are in Port-au-Prince, but they are not coming to the parliament,"
Liberus said.

The image of the Lavalas Family is at stake in this matter, because it has
73 deputies out of 83. Every day, as well as for each working session, the
problem is always the same. There is always a lack of a quorum and yet they
only need 43 deputies to hold a session. It is more than two weeks now and
they have not managed to ratify the amended financial bill. The situation is
upsetting for Liberus, who said that "these deputies do not have time for
parliament but they are always at the Interior Ministry or Commerce
Ministry."

11. [30] Haitian National Police [PNH] spokesman Jean-Dady Simeon warns
bandits. He affirmed that their wickedness will not be tolerated. Simeon
invites the population to collaborate with the PNH in the fight against
insecurity.

12. [32] Ads, followed by international news.

13. [46] News summary, followed by ads.

14. [52] Economic segment by Kesner Pharel.

15. [55] Ads.

16. [56] Humour segment by Francois Latour.

Source: Radio Metropole, Port-au-Prince, in French 1145 gmt 29 Jun 01

/BBC Monitoring/ © BBC.