9352: Haiti: Legislators call apostolic nuncio's power-share suggestion inappropriate (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Stanley Lucas <slucas@iri.org>

Legislators call apostolic nuncio's power-share suggestion inappropriate 
BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Oct 24, 2001
 
The Lavalas parliamentarians have reacted to the statement by the apostolic nuncio in Haiti. The parliamentarians think this statement is inappropriate. The nuncio suggested that President Aristide should share power with the opposition in order to unblock the country. According to the parliamentarians, as apostolic nuncio, Luigi Bonazzi should remain neutral in the Haitian crisis. Furthermore, they say that the Lavalas Family, FL, has already made many sacrifices in order to unblock the country. As an example, they cite the resignations of seven senators. They assert that these senators were constitutionally elected. Whoever wants power must necessarily stand in elections. 

This is a statement by controversial senators Louis Gerald Gilles and Yvon Feuille, to whom we invite you to listen: 

[Gilles - recording] This is a surprise from somebody in the international community who, I nevertheless thought, respected more or less the neutrality the international community should have in the crisis. But, as he has spoken, we must give him an answer. The answer is clear: It is always said that in democracy, sharing power often requires some representativeness. We are reminding the monsignor, the apostolic nuncio, that people win power through elections. 

[Feuille] Given the problems that happened on 21 May, these seven senators have resigned. (So, any electoral position is obtained through elections but not through nomination). 

Source: Signal FM Radio, Port-au-Prince, in Creole 1230 gmt 23 Oct 01 

/BBC Monitoring/ © BBC.

Haiti: Opposition Convergence criticizes Lavalas's use of Washington lobbyists 
BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Oct 24, 2001
 

The Democratic Convergence has denounced the employment of lobbyists in Washington by the Lavalas government. According to the Convergence leaders, this situation proves the lack of consideration on the part of the Lavalas government for the suffering of the Haitian people. The Convergence maintains that the FL [Lavalas Family] is simply defending its personal interests to hold onto power while trying to give false information to US decision-makers about the country's situation. Micha Gaillard spoke as follows: 

[Gaillard - recording] The Lavalas government has chosen not to meet the demands of the people but to defend its personal interests. In this way, it is important to know that the Lavalas laboratory itself is using the traditional practices of the different preceding military and Duvalier governments to remain in power while criticizing an allegedly famous international laboratory that is apparently in Washington. Lavalas is paying an enormous amount of money to people so they can say things other than what is really happening here to the Washington decision-makers in Congress or at the level of the executive. 

That used to be done in the past and that is still being done in countries where they have a dictatorial government. Lavalas prefers investing money in financial international diplomacy instead of using that money to meet the needs of the population. This is not surprising, because the aim of the Lavalas regime is to remain in power by sending false information to decision-makers. Fortunately, those decision-makers have shown that they are not taken in and are able to understand the manoeuvres of the Lavalas leaders. 

Source: Radio Metropole, Port-au-Prince, in French 1145 gmt 23 Oct 01 

/BBC Monitoring/ © BBC.