a716: BBC: Haiti: Convergence urges Aristide to withdraw so as to let country move forward (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

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

Haiti: Convergence urges Aristide to withdraw so as to let country move
forward
BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Feb 9, 2002


Democratic Convergence spokesman Paul Denis has praised the position
expressed by Secretary of State [Colin] Powell, who said that the US
government did not intend to release funds for Haiti as long as the
political crisis is not resolved.
[Former] Senator Denis, of the Convergence, explained that it is necessary
for President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to undertake concrete actions before he
talks about resuming negotiations. The following is an excerpt from Denis's
remarks:
[Denis - recording] //Oh! This is a catastrophe.// Aristide promised that
2001 would be good. But we have seen that 2001 was a catastrophe, a national
catastrophe. All parameters are in the red. The country's infrastructure is
seriously run down. Inflation has reached the level of 14 to 15 per cent.
The gourde has depreciated. National production has fallen. Insecurity has
soared. Human rights and public freedoms have been trampled underfoot. The
people have been abandoned to extreme poverty and insecurity. So, the
assessment is totally negative. //
Aristide can draw the conclusion that he is unable, that he is unable
[phrase repeated as heard] to manage this country,// that he has no
legitimacy and should therefore decide to withdraw to allow the country to
reach a consensus so it can move towards change, the change about which
everybody has been dreaming since 1986 and that we have not yet been able to
reach.
Source: Signal FM Radio, Port-au-Prince, in Creole 1230 gmt 8 Feb 02
/BBC Monitoring/ © BBC.