12327: Haiti's president, opposition leaders meet (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Greg Chamberlain <GregChamberlain@compuserve.com>

     By Michael Deibert

     PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, June 15 (Reuters) - Haitian President
Jean-Bertrand Aristide met with opposition leaders on Saturday for the
first time in two years to resolve a two-year-old electoral crisis, and
both sides made positive remarks afterward.
     One of the opposition figures who attended the meeting said Aristide
told them he would act to address their concerns. An Aristide aide said the
president wanted to put an end to the dispute that has resulted in the
freezing of some $500 million in international aid.
     Aristide met with officials of the Democratic Convergence opposition
coalition at the Port-au-Prince residence of Haiti's papal nuncio, Luigi
Bonazzi, the same location where they last met two years ago.
     The Convergence has charged that legislative elections held in May
2000 were tabulated unfairly to favor Aristide's Lavalas Family political
party. Convergence member parties then refused to participate in
presidential elections that saw Aristide gain the presidency for a second
time in November 2000.
     After an apparent coup attempt in December 2001 during which gunmen
stormed the National Palace, Aristide partisans took to the streets of the
capital, burning down offices and homes affiliated with the opposition.
     "Aristide has assured us that he will act to satisfy the conditions
needed to restart the negotiations," said Luc Mesadieu of the
Convergence-affiliated MOCHRENA party, who attended the meetings along with
opposition figures Gerard Pierre-Charles and Hubert de Ronceray.
     "He said that he will act against impunity and address the issues of
reparations and insecurity."
     The Convergence's conditions for restarting substantive electoral
negotiations include the holding of new elections for several disputed
seats, the payment of reparations for property destroyed during the
December unrest and the disarming of individuals they charge are
pro-government militants.
     "President Aristide feels that it's time to step forward," said
National Palace spokesman Luc Especa. "He would like to put an end to this
crisis so we can concentrate on development and improving the lives of the
people of Haiti."
     The meeting was arranged by Luigi Eniadi, assistant secretary-general
of the Organization of American States, who arrived in Haiti on June 10 to
push for a resolution to the electoral dispute, sources close to the two
sides said.
     OAS officials were not immediately available for comment.