13410: Karshan: Pres. Aristide's opening remarks to Press Breakfast Oct 8 2002 (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: MKarshan@aol.com

Meeting between President Jean-Bertrand Aristide and media directors from the
capital and the provinces, during a  "Press-Breakfast" in the National Palace

National Palace, October 8, 2002

OPENING REMARKS BY PRESIDENT ARISTIDE:

Dear friends, welcome,

You are in the people's house, so you are here at home. To my right is the
Minister of Communications, Mrs. Desquiron.

To her right is the Secretary of State for Communications, Mr. Dupuy. To the
left are Dr. Desgranges, Director of the Private Cabinet, and Dr. Surena,
member of the Private Cabinet.

We wanted to have this meeting as an extension of what we have done already.
We had a smaller "Press-Breakfast" with media directors to eat together and
dialogue in mutual respect. Today, we wanted to enlarge it with both
journalists from Port-au-Prince and journalists from the many departments in
the country. We couldn't really make it at 7:00 o'clock this morning, as we
did in the past. We put it for 11:00 o'clock, so you could all have enough
time to get here with the hope that when we are finished eating together, you
can get back home before dark.

We are happy you answered our invitation positively because our purpose is to
spend some time together to share information, to dialogue on things
happening in our country, on the reality of the media, on the many problems
that concerns us as citizens.

It was a great pleasure to have the occasion to sit and eat with many media
directors, like it is a great pleasure to extend this dialogue with you. It
will give us the chance to enlighten this or that issue and it can strengthen
relations between people, because we believe in people and we believe that
people need to dialogue with other people to reduce confusion and increase
human vitamins to reduce the distance and facilitate a bridge of dialogue.

The State has to protect human values for the country's future. So the State
has to look for occasions, for circumstances, for events that can make this
type of exchange easier. Every time a respectful dialogue is opened, the
country benefits from it. So we are very happy because in complete freedom
and mutual respect, you came to this meeting.

I will do everything in my power to give you more time to ask questions or
make comments, give criticism also, because we need criticism. Criticism can
help us understand better and do better. I will do everything possible so
that when you come out of this meeting, you feel that, thanks to you, it was
richer, from your interventions, and even from your silence. Sometimes a
silence can be so meaningful that even the person who is speaking can hear
the voice of silence. I am very happy just to see you here, because no
journalist had the obligation to come to this meeting. You accepted to come
and that is already a positive answer that makes things easier in this
meeting for us to talk together, to look for answers so our country can
benefit from them.

My heart is wide open as I welcome you to this meeting which is meant to be
brotherly, patriotic. Patriotic at the eve of the bicentennial of our
independence. I cannot imagine a good celebration of the bicentennial of the
Republic of Haiti's independence if we, patriots, citizens, do not build
bridges of contact, of dialogue; if we, patriots, citizens do not stimulate
this dialogue essential to the Republic of Haiti's health.

During the 200 years of our independence's history, we severed many bridges.
It is our responsibility to build new ones. All throughout our history, the
social fabric has been torn. Many have given themselves to rebuild the social
fabric. And we, together through dialogue, continue to put down stones of
unity for the nation's construction.

Happy to welcome you, happy to listen to you, I will now let you speak. But I
would not feel right if I didn't ask a minute of meditation, of silence in
the memory of journalists who left us, especially those who were cowardly
killed, like Jean Dominique, from Petit Goâve, Brignol Lindor, without
forgetting Duvergé. I will not name too many, but I think of them. And you,
their colleagues, I invite you, if you wish, to stand up for a minute of
meditation in their memory.

This being said, the ball is in the center now. This is not a classic press
conference. It is a meeting that goes further than a traditional press
conference because we will eat together, after, like it is done in this type
of "Press-Breakfast". Who will ask the first question? Anyone?  The
microphone will go around. Instead of asking questions, you can make
proposals, or criticism. All of this will enrich the exchanges we want to
have this morning.

President Jean-Bertrand Aristide

Port-au-Prince

10/08/2002