16706: Caze: RE: Press Release resend (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Martine Caze <MCaze@nchr.org>

                FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Merrie Archer, Director, Human Rights Programs

954-462-8231; marcher@nchr.org

                                         Haitian Coalition Releases New
Report on Haiti;
                                      Recommends Bold Alternatives for All
Stakeholders


New York, September 10, 2003 - The National Coalition for Haitian Rights
(NCHR) has released a new report this week on the current situation in
Haiti.  Entitled Yon Sèl Dwèt Pa Manje Kalalou*: Haiti on the Eve of Its
Bicentennial, the 50-page report recontextualizes the political impasse that
has gripped and weakened the country over the past three years, as well as
offers some new and bold recommendations for its resolution.  "We hope that
this report catalyzes real movement in getting Haiti beyond this crisis,"
said Dina Paul Parks, NCHR's Executive Director.  "As we stated in our
briefing to the new US Ambassador to Haiti, James Foley, last week, the
status quo simply cannot continue," she added.  "All parties must do more,
and the United States must engage at a higher level."

Divided into eight main sections with several subheadings, Yon Sèl
Dwèt...addresses several of Haiti's most pressing challenges, including the
political games and gambles of various actors that have led to the current
stalemate, the reasons behind its intractability and its devastating toll on
the lives of Haiti's people.  The report takes a special look at the state
of Haiti's institutions, particularly the Haitian National Police and
judicial system, and provides some key insights for rebuilding the country's
infrastructure, especially after the heavy investment of the international
community in the mid-1990s.  It also sheds new light on the long-running and
incendiary withheld aid debate, while tackling the thorny issue of elections
and constitutional irregularities.

Beyond the analysis, the policy report proposes several recommendations for
all actors in the Haitian crisis, including:  the government of Haiti (GOH),
opposition parties, civil society, the Haitian Diaspora, the U.S.
government, the OAS and broader international community, and all friends of
Haiti.  Readers will learn of NCHR's proposals for addressing Haiti's
pervasive insecurity and impunity issues while attending to the GOH's claims
of lack of resources and alleged inability to improve the situation.  The
report also suggests several alternatives to the Haitian government's
irresponsible decision to hold elections in November 2003 in spite of the
concerns of so many sectors.  The United States receives special attention
in the report, as NCHR calls on the US to take strong, targeted, diplomatic
action to stem the country's descent.  Perhaps most importantly, invoking
Haiti's fast-approaching bicentennial as special motivation for renewed
effort and determination, Yon Sèl Dwèt... proposes the creation of several
mechanisms to engage the Haitian people directly as an indispensable
stakeholder in the process to bring Haiti out of its morass, including
looking at the importance of reconciliation and healing.

The report will be available online at NCHR's website, www.nchr.org, by the
end of the week.  Hard copies are obtainable now by calling NCHR's offices
at 212-337-0005 for a fee of $10 to defray the cost of production.

__________________________________________________________
* In Haitian Creole:  "A single finger cannot eat okra."  In Haiti's
political context, it will take all actors working together to resolve the
crisis.






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