15858: Blanchet: Fw: OAS draft resolution on Haiti (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Max Blanchet <MaxBlanchet@worldnet.att.net>

THIRTY-THIRD REGULAR SESSION OEA/Ser.P
June 8 - 10, 2003 AG/CG/doc.3/03 rev. 1
Santiago, Chile 9 June 2003
Original: English

Agenda item XVII
DRAFT RESOLUTION
SUPPORT FOR STRENGTHENING DEMOCRACY IN HAITI
(Presented by the delegation of Haiti, co-sponsored by the delegations of
the
Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Chile, Costa
Rica,
Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Peru, St.
Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname,
Trinidad and
Tobago and the United States,
and approved by the General Committee at its first meeting held on June 9,
2003)


THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,

RECALLING its resolution AG/RES. 1841 (XXXII-O/02) "The Situation in Haiti",
and the Permanent Council resolutions CP/RES. 806 (1303/02 corr. 1) "The
Situation in Haiti" and CP/RES. 822 (1331/02) "Support for Strengthening
Democracy
in Haiti";

REGRETTING that some deadlines set in the abovementioned resolution CP/RES.
822 (1331/02) have not been met and that some of its provisions have not yet
been implemented;

WELCOMING the efforts of the OAS/CARICOM High-level Delegation which visited
Haiti from March 19 to 20, 2003, to advance compliance with CP/RES. 822, and
the Delegation’s recommendations of April 30, 2003, to the Permanent Council
on
the situation in Haiti;
RECALLING that the “Official Statement of the Chairman of the Permanent
Council of the Organization of American States Emanating From the Special
Session
of the Permanent Council on the Situation in Haiti” April 30, 2003,
expressed
the view of the Council “that the March 20th points drawn from the
provisions
of Resolutions 806 and 822 and put to the Government of Haiti remain fully
valid and require, urgently, government action on them” and that critical
measures
included renewing and professionalizing the police leadership in
consultation
with the OAS Special Mission, ending the impunity of those implicated in the
violence of December 17, 2001, and implementing agreed disarmament measures;

RECALLING FURTHER that this Official Statement also expressed the view of
the
Council “that the points left with civil society and the Convergence
Democratique remain fully valid” and that “the international community will
not
support efforts to remove the President of Haiti through violent
confrontation in
the streets, or other actions or arrangements contrary to democratic
processes”;

NOTING that, in keeping with the spirit of resolution CP/RES. 822, the
Government of Haiti has taken some positive steps towards creating a climate
of
security conducive to free, fair and transparent elections and related
political
party activities, including the naming of a new Director General of the
Haitian
National Police on June 6, 2003, signing the terms of reference with the OAS
Special Mission on professionalization of the police, electoral security,
disarmament, justice, and human rights, and completing reparations for
organizations that suffered damages as a direct result of the violence of
December 17,
2001;

NOTING the Report of the Secretary General on the Situation in Haiti
(CP/doc.
3750/03);
CONSIDERING that the Charter of the Organization of American States
recognizes that representative democracy is an indispensable condition for
the
stability, peace, and development of the region, and that one of the main
purposes of
the OAS is to promote and consolidate it, with due respect for the principle
of nonintervention; and

REAFFIRMING:

That the Inter-American Democratic Charter proclaims 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"; and

That the Inter-American Democratic Charter also states that "democracy and
social and economic development are interdependent and are mutually
reinforcing"
and that the "promotion and observance of economic, social, and cultural
rights are inherently linked to integral development, equitable economic
growth,
and to the consolidation of democracy in the states of the Hemisphere",




RESOLVES:

1. To endorse the Permanent Council resolution CP/RES. 822 (1331/02)
"Support
for Strengthening Democracy in Haiti" and to call on all parties referred to
in said resolution to urgently implement or continue implementing, as the
case
may be, their obligations.

2. To reiterate its support for the Special Mission to Strengthening
Democracy in Haiti (Mission).

3. To thank the High-Level OAS/CARICOM Delegation to Haiti for its efforts
to
advance compliance with resolution CP/RES. 822, notably its visit to Haiti
on
March 19-20, 2003, and its report and recommendations to the Permanent
Council of April 30, 2003, on the situation in Haiti.

4. To urge the government of Haiti to complete its obligations under
resolution CP/RES. 822 and all the points drawn from that resolution and
presented to
it by the High-Level OAS/CARICOM Delegation on March 20, 2003, including
steps
to professionalize the Haitian National Police.

5. To urge civil society and the Convergence Democratique to respond
constructively to recent steps taken by the Government of Haiti to comply
with these
points drawn from resolutions CP/RES. 806 and CP/RES. 822 put to it by the
Delegation.


6. To urge all parties to participate in the formation of a credible,
neutral
and independent Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) when a climate of
security conducive to free, fair and transparent elections has been created,
with the
cooperation of the OAS Special Mission and in compliance with the measures
under resolution CP/RES. 822 and those put to the Government of Haiti and
civil
society and the Convergence Democratique by the High-Level OAS/CARICOM
Delegation.

7. To request the Secretary General to explore ways to promote increased
dialogue between the Government of Haiti and civil society and the
Convergence
Democratique.

8. To welcome the efforts made by the Government of Haiti and the
international financial institutions to resolve the technical and financial
obstacles
that preclude normalization of economic cooperation, the recent conclusion
of a
Staff Monitored Program (SMP) between the International Monetary Fund and
the
Government of Haiti, the expressed willingness of some CARICOM countries to
facilitate Haiti clearing its arrears with the Inter-American Development
Bank
(IDB), and the announcement by the Minister of Economy and Finance at the
IDB on
May 21, 2003, that Haitian commercial banks have committed to a syndicated
loan to cover the Government’s arrears obligations to the IDB.

9. To note that the humanitarian crisis in Haiti continues to be of grave
concern and to welcome the humanitarian assistance provided by the United
States,
Canada and other members of the Friends of Haiti in this regard.


10. To call on the international community to maintain its support for the
OAS Special Mission and provide urgent additional funds to help finance its
economic, social and institutional strengthening programs for Haiti.

11. To request the Secretary General to remain engaged and active in the
process of reinforcing democracy in Haiti and to provide, by September 2003,
as
part of his report presented every two months to the Permanent Council, an
assessment of the ability of the Mission to fulfill its mandates under the
above-cited resolution CP/RES. 822 (1331/02), in particular regarding the
Mission’s
support for the electoral process and the Mission’s financial situation, so
that
the Permanent Council might make appropriate adjustments to the Mission’s
mandates.

12. To request the Permanent Council to continue to monitor developments in
Haiti, including the work of the Mission.

13. To request the Secretary General to report to the thirty-fourth regular
session of the General Assembly on the situation in Haiti.


______________________________________________


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See the Haiti Support Group web site:
www.haitisupport.gn.apc.org

The Haiti Support Group - solidarity with the Haitian people's struggle for
justice, participatory democracy and equitable development, since 1992.
____________________________________________