8643: Highlights of Radio Haiti-Inter news (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

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

Haiti: Highlights of Radio Haiti-Inter news 1200 gmt 10 Jul 01
BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Jul 10, 2001

The "Inter Current Events" news programme; figures in brackets indicate
times in minutes elapsed since start of programme

1. [00] Prelude to the "Inter Current call for Events" newscast followed by
ads, headlines, and ads.

2. [11] Report on the US dollar exchange rates in Port-au-Prince banks
yesterday.

3. [12] International news on violence in Jamaica where confrontations
between the police and gangs have resulted in about 20 deaths.

4. [17] Ads.

5. [16] Report on President Jean-Bertrand Aristide's visit yesterday to
Port-de-Paix by correspondent Thony Verniau: President Aristide arrived in
Port-de-Paix and spoke to more than 40,000 people outside the cathedral. He
promised to build an international airport and announced that the Ministry
of Agriculture has more than 22m dollars available to help increase national
production in the Northwest. He gave local authorities 10 public transport
buses and four tractors. He is accompanied by a large delegation including
his wife, the agriculture minister, the public works minister, the secretary
of state for literacy, several parliamentarians and other government
officials. He took part in a mass attended by more than 3,000 people. The
celebrant of the mass presented to the president in his homily for the
occasion a list of demands of the people of Port-de-Paix. After mass,
Aristide spoke privately with priests. He arrived very late in Port-de-Paix
because he had to stay in Gonaives for a meeting with the Raboteau massacre
victims and their relatives. Aristide is expected today in Jean-Rabel and
Lacoma to discuss judicial and agricultural issues. It should be pointed out
that Aristide is due to travel to Cuba on 16 July at the invitation of
President Fidel Castro. The purpose of this trip to Cuba is to follow up on
Haitian-Cuban cooperation. Before leaving on this trip, Aristide will meet
with Cuban cooperation officials in Haiti.

6. [21] Report by Roland Jean: Senator Dany Toussaint did not appear at the
office of the examining judge yesterday in a challenge to the examining
judge on the basis of a certified report that the Ministry of Justice and
numerous independent jurists consider illegal. However, Toussaint's refusal
to answer the examining judge's questions cannot prevent the continuation of
the inquiry, according to Gassant, who said he is unaware of Toussaint's
challenge. He announced he will give his final ruling on the inquiry this
week. Asked about the fact that Dany Toussaint's lawyers challenge him and
the dean of the civil court, Gassant responded: "I am not aware of that."
For their part, Toussaint's lawyers formally submitted to the Palace of
Justice a brief on their refusal to accept Gassant as examining judge in the
case. Saying that Gassant has made sensational statements, one of
Toussaint's lawyers said: "We have noted that on the basis of these
statements he [Gassant] does not have the necessary moral qualities to keep
asking us questions." It should be pointed out that Justice of the Peace
Gabriel Ambroise, who carried out a counter-investigation at the request of
Toussaint, has been suspended for illegal activity.

7 . [27] Human rights organizations denounce the challenging of Gassant's
authority by Toussaint's lawyers. These organizations say the report of the
justice of the peace who carried out an illegal counter-investigation cannot
justify the accusations of bias brought against Gassant in the process of
the inquiry into Dominique's murder. Pierre Lesperance of the National
Coalition for Haitian Rights speaks of the illegal nature of the
counter-investigation by Justice of the Peace Gabriel Ambroise, which led to
his suspension. Lesperance called the challenge to Gassant by Toussaint's
lawyers a delaying tactic.

8 . [31] Report by Gonaives correspondent: The Union of Peasants of
Gros-Morne denounces the blocking of the Dominique murder investigation. The
organization denounces the manoeuvres by Toussaint and his close friends to
thwart the inquiry. The peasants speak of letters sent to Aristide by
several international organizations in favour of justice to Dominique and
question why Dany Toussaint is denouncing people when the inquiry is almost
over.

9. [36] Ads and recapitulation followed by ads.

10. [43] Headlines to be developed later followed by international news and
ads.

11. [53] Even though the negotiations have been suspended, the political
crisis is still one of the main headlines with the announcement of the
arrival of OAS Secretary-General Cesar Gaviria in Haiti on 12 July.

12. [54] Planning and External Cooperation Minister Marc Louis Bazin
yesterday urged both parties to set aside their differences and reach a
consensus in order to return to economic and political stability. He spoke
at a meeting between government members and members of the private sector,
saying: "The solution of this political problem would constitute the
beginning of a national consensus that Haitians need regardless of their
political affiliation." He spoke of possible foreign assistance if the
political crisis is resolved. He also explained the budget deficit and the
efforts the government is making to reduce it.

13. [58] The Chamber of Deputies asks that an investigation be carried out
regarding 700,000 dollars that disappeared after a police operation in
Port-au-Prince. Deputy Wilner Content, chairman of the House Foreign
Relations Committee, called for a committee to be set up to investigate
whether Lavalas parliamentarians are involved in the disappearance of
700,000 dollars that was seized from drug dealers. Content asks for the
implementation of the zero tolerance formula against any parliamentarians
involved in this matter. There are rumours that two parliamentarians were
involved.

14. [61] The two deputy mayors of Croix-des-Bouquets yesterday reopened the
doors of the communal administration that had been closed for four weeks.

15. [68] Report by Saint-Marc correspondent: The first criminal trials by
jury in Saint-Marc took place on Monday 9 July. Joel Jeune, who was tried
for the murder of Etienne Elan, has been sentenced to life in prison.

16. [72] Report by Fritzon Aureus on an interview with lawyer Rene Sylvestre
on the criminal trials in Saint-Marc. These trials will last two weeks and
every measure has been taken for their success.

17. [76] Ads.

18. [81] Economic segment by Pierre Emmanuel.

Source: Radio Haiti-Inter, Port-au-Prince, in French 1200 gmt 10 Jul 01

/BBC Monitoring/ © BBC.