17913: (Hermantin) Miami-Herald-President offers legislative elections (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: leonie hermantin <lhermantin@hotmail.com>

Posted on Wed, Jan. 14, 2004

HAITI
President offers legislative elections; foes dismiss pledge
At a summit in Mexico, Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide appears to
promise legislative elections in six months, but his opposition says it
won't take part.
>From Herald Staff and Wire Services

MONTERREY, Mexico - Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide on Tuesday
refused to bow to opposition demands for his resignation but appeared to
offer new elections in six months.

''I am very pleased to organize these elections, so I propose the next
semester for dialogue both with opposition entities, civil society and
businessmen,'' Aristide said at a Summit of the Americas for Western
Hemisphere leaders.

He also announced his government would meet with opposition leaders and
members of the 15-member Caribbean Community in The Bahamas next week at a
gathering monitored by international observers, including Canada.

But opposition leaders dismissed his apparent offer of elections and said
they had no plans to negotiate with him in The Bahamas, although they will
send a representative to lay out the opposition's case before the Caribbean
Community officials.

ELECTIONS OVERDUE

By law, legislative elections should have been held by late last year. But
the opposition has refused to participate in elections, charging that the
last round of balloting was marked by fraud by Aristide's Lavalas Family
party.

''No meeting is planned,'' opposition spokesman Mischa Gaillard said.
``Aristide's promise was a maneuver knowing the heads of state [at the
summit] want to hear about democracy and elections.''

Aristide also announced that a nine-member electoral council that includes
opposition representatives was working to set a date for the elections, even
though the opposition has refused to participate in council decisions.

Antigovernment demonstrations in the past four months have left at least 46
people dead in the impoverished nation and more than 100 wounded.

Both sides blame the other for the violence, but most of the deaths have
been antigovernment protesters.

STATIONS TARGETED

In Port-au-Prince on Tuesday, vandals armed with sledgehammers smashed
several broadcast antennas, forcing at least seven radio stations and one TV
station off the air, one station owner told The Associated Press.

Privately owned Radio Galaxie, Radio Kiskeya, Radio Melodie, Radio
Magique-Stereo, Radio Plus and Radio Signal-F.M. went off the air after the
attacks.

Radio and Television Ti-Moun, owned by Aristide's Foundation for Democracy,
were also silenced.

Radio Kiskeya co-owner Marvel Dandin said the attack was the work of
Aristide supporters. He said they damaged the antennas of the pro-government
stations by mistake.

''Nothing marks the difference between one antenna and another,'' he said.

Aristide says he plans to serve until his second term ends in 2006.

_________________________________________________________________
Let the new MSN Premium Internet Software make the most of your high-speed
experience. http://join.msn.com/?pgmarket=en-us&page=byoa/prem&ST=1