a655 BBC: Haiti has lost its right to vote in the UN; it has not paid its annual contribution of 50,000 dollars. (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Robert Benodin <r.benodin@worldnet.att.net>

Haiti: Highlights of Radio Metropole news 1145 gmt 5 Feb 02
BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Feb 6, 2002


2. Haiti has lost its right to vote in the UN because the Haitian government
has not paid its annual contribution of 50,000 dollars. The Lavalas regime
now has to meet UN requirements to regain its right to vote in the General
Assembly. (1 min)
3. President Jean-Bertrand Aristide yesterday reaffirmed that the assailants
at the National Palace on 17 December wanted to assassinate him. He made
that statement during his first press conference since his election. (4 min)
4. President Aristide also announced that contacts are being made to find a
new prime minister. The president did not reveal any names, however. (2 min)
5. The Democratic Convergence reiterates its refusal to participate in the
next Lavalas government without the conclusion of a political agreement.
Opposition leaders say they are committed to the OAS resolution on Haiti. (3
min)
6. The Civil Society Initiative Group, GISC, is not ready to participate in
the new Lavalas government. According to GISC spokesman Rosny Desroches, the
issue of the formation of a new government is not a priority. Desroches
supports the OAS resolution and wishes a favourable climate for the
resumption of the negotiations. (2 min)
8. The meeting of the Caribbean Community, Caricom, in Belize will end
today. Foreign Minister Joseph Philippe Antonio led the Haitian delegation.
The Haitian issue was to be discussed. From Belize, Foreign Minister Antonio
will be going to the Bahamas to participate in the first meeting of prime
ministers of Caricom countries, which will take place in Nassau from 6 to 7
February. US Secretary of State Colin Powell will also take part. (1 min)
9. President Aristide spoke of holding possible legislative and local
elections in November and the first half of 2003. (3 min)
10. The Democratic Convergence considers positive its mission to Washington
last week on the implementation of the 15 January OAS resolution. According
to the Convergence spokesman, the opposition has reaffirmed its full support
to the resolution that foresees the deployment of two OAS missions to Haiti.
(3 min)
11. Former Colonel Himler Rebu doubts the effectiveness of the security
mechanism used by the Haitian head of state. Rebu deplores the presence of
foreign security agents in the presidential security unit. He considers all
the money spent by the Haitian state in that sector a waste. He wishes the
nationalization of the presidential security unit. Rebu said, "With all that
money Aristide is spending on his security he might go crazy and get
paranoid. And by so doing he might fall into the dangers that he is trying
to avoid." Rebu thinks that it is not the president's security that should
be reinforced but that of the nation. If security is given to the nation, he
said, if Port-au-Prince is technically well secured, then the president will
also have security. (4 min)
12. The interim president of the Chamber of Deputies is exasperated by the
absence of a quorum to decide on lifting the parliamentary immunity of a
deputy accused of being the main suspect in the murder of Mayor Fernand
Severe. Phelito Doran threatens to apply Article 115 of the constitution to
facilitate the work of the judiciary. (2 min)
15. The Health Ministry has renovated the operating section of the
Saint-Catherine maternity hospital in Cite Soleil. The health minister
reaffirms the willingness of the state to modernize, revitalize, and
reorganize our health system. (4 min)
Source: Radio Metropole, Port-au-Prince, in French 1145 gmt 5 Feb 02
/BBC Monitoring/ © BBC.