a382: January 15 OAS Resolution on Haiti (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Antoine Blanc <amprblanc@yahoo.fr>

OEA/Ser.G
CP/RES. 806 (1303/02)
15 January 2002
Original:  English



THE SITUATION IN HAITI

  THE PERMANENT COUNCIL OF THE ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES,

THE SITUATION IN HAITI



THE PERMANENT COUNCIL OF THE ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES,

DEEPLY CONCERNED by the violence that occurred in Haiti, in particular the
events of July 28 and December 17, 2001, and the worsening political,
economic and social situation in that country;

CONCERNED by the current impasse in negotiations to resolve the continuing
political crisis;

HAVING SEEN the Fifth Report of the Mission of the Organization of American
States: "Progress Toward An Initial Accord" (CP/doc. 3541/02);

RECALLING that the General Assembly, in resolution AG/RES.1831 (XXXI-O/01),
reiterated its deep concern at the continuing political crisis in Haiti,
arising from irregularities in the elections of May 21, 2000, and instructed
the Secretary General to increase his efforts to help find a solution to the
political crisis, to further the social and economic development of Haiti,
to strengthen democracy, and to promote respect for human rights in that
country;

RECALLING ALSO that the Permanent Council, in resolution CP/RES. 772
(1247/00) of August 4, 2000, at the request of the Government of Haiti,
authorized the Secretary General to lead a Mission to Haiti to "identify,
together with the Government of Haiti and other sectors of the political
community and civil society, options and recommendations for resolving, as
expeditiously as possible, difficulties such as those that have arisen from
differing interpretations of the Electoral Law, and for further
strengthening democracy in that country", and that there have been numerous
missions since that time for that purpose;

BEARING IN MIND:

That the OAS Charter establishes that representative democracy is an
indispensable condition for the stability, peace, and development of the
region and that one of the essential purposes of the Organization is to
promote and consolidate representative democracy, with due respect for the
principle of nonintervention;

That the Inter-American Democratic Charter, adopted by the Special Session
of the General Assembly in Lima, Peru on September 11, 2001, states that the
peoples of the Americas have a right to democracy and that their governments
have an obligation to promote and defend it; and that "essential elements of
representative democracy include, inter alia, respect for human rights and
fundamental freedoms, access to and the exercise of power in accordance with
the rule of law, the holding of periodic, free, and fair elections based on
secret balloting and universal suffrage as an expression of the sovereignty
of the people, the pluralistic system of political parties and
organizations, and the separation of powers and independence of the branches
of government";

TAKING NOTE of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide's condemnation of violence
from any source, the statements issued by the Secretary General regarding
the events of December 17, 2001 and the subsequent violence and the
communiqués of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on attacks and
threats against journalists;

TAKING NOTE also that the Government of Haiti has initiated an inquiry into
the December 17, 2001 events which included an attack against the
presidential palace and violence against the headquarters of political
parties and the residences of private individuals;

CONVINCED that the worsening political situation in Haiti, which has most
recently led to the violent events of December 17, 2001, demonstrates that
there is an urgent need to strengthen institutions of representative
democracy in that country;

ENCOURAGED by the interest and willingness expressed by the Government of
Haiti to collaborate, with the international community in efforts at
resolving the ongoing political crisis in Haiti; and,

TAKING NOTE of the decision of CARICOM to urgently dispatch to Haiti a
special high-level mission to evaluate the situation in that country,

RESOLVES:

1. To condemn the loss of life and the destruction of property resulting
from the events of December 17, 2001.

2. To urge the Government of Haiti, all political parties, civil society,
and other relevant institutions of Haitian society to condemn and work
towards ending all forms of political violence.

3. To accompany the Government of Haiti's interest and willingness to work
jointly with the international community to find a solution to the current
political crisis by establishing an OAS Mission, in accordance with AG/RES.
1831 (XXXI-O/01) of the General Assembly of the OAS, to work in the spirit
of the OAS Charter and the Inter-American Democratic Charter.

4. To call upon the Government of Haiti to pursue diligently all efforts to
restore a climate of security that is a necessary condition for resuming
OAS-sponsored negotiations, including:

a. the completion of a thorough, independent inquiry into the events related
to December 17, 2001;
b. the prosecution of any person, and dismissal, when appropriate, of any
person found to be complicit in the violence of December 17, 2001 and
subsequent days;
c. the completion of a thorough inquiry into all politically-motivated
crimes;
d. reparations for organizations and individuals who suffered damages as a
direct result of violence of December 17, 2001;
e. an invitation to the OAS to send representatives to Haiti to investigate
and assess the situation and to assist the Government and people of Haiti in
strengthening their democratic system and institutions, and
f. an invitation to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to conduct
an onsite visit to Haiti.

5. To commend the Secretary General for his constructive efforts as detailed
in the Fifth Report of the Mission of the Organization of American States:
"Progress Toward An Initial Accord" (CP/doc. 3541/02);

6. To call upon the international community to provide effective and
concrete support to the Government of Haiti, Haitian civil society, and
democratic political parties that operate within the Haitian constitution
and the rule of law, in an effort to strengthen the Haitian democratic
institutions.

7. To call upon the Government of Haiti and all political parties, with the
support of civil society and other relevant institutions in Haiti, to resume
OAS-sponsored negotiations as a matter of urgency, as soon as conditions are
conducive to discussions, with a view to reaching an agreement to resolve
the political crisis in Haiti.

8. To reaffirm the mandate of the Secretary General in accordance with
AG/RES. 1831 (XXXI-O/01) and, to instruct him, in consultation with CARICOM
and the Group of Friends of Haiti, to continue his efforts, to contribute
further to the resolution of the current political crisis in Haiti by:

a. monitoring events in Haiti, including respect for the essential elements
of representative democracy, and compliance with any accords that may result
from OAS-sponsored negotiations, and
b. helping the Government of Haiti in the strengthening of its democratic
processes and institutions.

9. To instruct the Secretary General to assign technical experts to the OAS
Mission to Haiti, to help the Government in the development and
strengthening of its democratic political process and institutions.

10. To instruct the Secretary General, as progress is achieved in reaching a
sustainable solution to the crisis arising from the May 21, 2000 elections,
to continue to work jointly with member states toward normalizing relations
between Haiti and the international community, especially the international
financial institutions, and to report on his progress.

11. To ask the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights within its area of
competence to undertake an on site visit to Haiti to consult with civil
society, political parties, and the Government of Haiti in order to analyze
and report on current conditions, and the events related to December 17,
2001.

12. To call upon the Government of Haiti to guarantee to the said OAS
Mission under reference at paragraph 3 above and to the Inter-American
Commission on Human Rights, as well as those international NGOs with a
recognized presence in Haiti, free and safe access to all elements of
Haitian civil society, including the press and opposition parties.

13. To call upon the OAS Secretary General's Group of Friends on Haiti from
interested OAS member states and permanent observers to remain engaged in
assisting the Secretary General in these efforts.

14. To instruct the Secretary General to provide an interim report to the
Permanent Council as soon as possible but not later than March 31st 2002,
and a full report to the 32nd regular session of the General Assembly on the
implementation of this resolution.

15. To request the Secretary General to transmit this resolution to the
Secretary General of the United Nations.

http://www.oas.org/OASpage/press2002/en/press2000/june2000/haitRes806e.htm






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