8667: Annan: Resolving political crisis in Haiti is key to accessing development funds (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

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

Resolving political crisis in Haiti is key to accessing development funds:
Annan

11 July - A resolution of the political, electoral and institutional crisis
that has plagued Haiti since 1997 is a prerequisite for the formulation and
implementation of a long-term development programme with Port-au-Prince,
Secretary-General Kofi Annan writes in a just released report on the
situation in the Caribbean nation.

Specifically, Mr. Annan says the country's political instability has limited
preliminary work on a Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper, which was to be
prepared by the Haitian Government following a recommendation by the World
Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in September 1999. Once
completed, the Paper will set out the conditions under which Haiti can
access financing under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility, and obtain
debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative.

The Paper is part of a multi-pronged approach to identify the country's
development priorities, along with the preparation of a UN Development
Assistance Framework - a programming exercise based on a Common Country
Assessment (CCA), which was prepared by some 200 people representing the
main sectors of Haiti's development partners.

"The importance of the [Paper] goes without saying and requires as much
participation as the CCA/UNDAF in order to strengthen international action
by means of a homogeneous and complementary strategy," the Secretary-General
writes.

Referring to a letter from Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in which
he expressed the desire that the post of the Secretary-General's
Representative should be retained to facilitate dialogue between the
political parties, the Secretary-General says he is currently engaged in
consultations with various parties - in particular the Friends of Haiti
(Argentina, Canada, Chile, France, United States and Venezuela) and the
Organization of American States (OAS) - to assess the best way to respond to
the request.

Mr. Annan's report came in response to a July 2000 request by the UN
Economic and Social Council for updates on "steps taken by the Haitian
Government, the United Nations system and the international community
towards the elaboration of a long-term programme of support for Haiti and
practical modalities for its implementation."