8963: News from outside Port-au-Prince (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Tttnhm@aol.com

News from outside Port-au-Prince (provided by the Haiti Support Group from 
various sources).

In Saint-Marc, the peasant organisation, OJL5, has denounced the rising price 
of fertiliser in the Artibonite Valley.

In Petit Goave, the Catholic Relief Service has announced the suspension of 
its assistance in providing school meals because of the withdrawal of USAID's 
support. Those who benefit from the meals have called on the protagonists in 
the national political dispute to return to the negotiating table. 

The Lower Artibonite area, around Saint-Marc, has been without electricity 
for more than one month. The local office of Electricité d'Haiti says the 
problem is caused by a lack of generator fuel. 

In the north-east, peasants are questioning the will of the government to 
enact the agrarian reform programme. A representative of the National 
Agrarian Reform Institute did not doubt the good will of the authorities but 
blamed the lack of progress on the persistence of the political crisis. 

In Les Cayes, the Thirtieth of September Foundation has organised an 
exhibition of photos of victims of the 1991-94 coup. The organisation is also 
collecting thousands of signatures for a petition calling for the total 
abolition of the Army. 

In Port-de-Paix , the work of repairing the town's roads has been blocked by 
members of the Croix Saint-Joseph Peasant Movement who are demanding that 
work on the town's drainage system be carried out. The situation is worrying 
the engineers of the HL company who must respect their contract and complete 
the work within a certain time.  
 
The president of the Northern Chamber of Commerce, Georges Marc, hopes that 
an accord between the protagonists will be concluded with a view to 
relaunching the country's economy. He told AHP that economic activities are 
considerably reduced in the Department of the North as a result of the 
persisting post-electoral crisis. He said that certain businesses were 
starting to lay off their staff because of the drop in commercial activities 
in the region. 

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