21224: Esser: Haiti, main issue in NY meeting between UN and Caricom heads (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: D. Esser torx@joimail.com

Trinidad & Tobago Express
http://www.trinidadexpress.com

April 11th 2004

Haiti, main issue in NY meeting between UN and Caricom heads
By RICKEY SINGH

BRIDGETOWN-The Caribbean Community's relations with a post-Aristide
Haiti will be the central issue at a meeting in New York tomorrow
between top officials of the United Nations and the Caricom
Secretariat.

What would normally have been a regular Caricom-UN meeting to review
matters of mutual interest, has been extended to include officials
from the Organisation of American States (OAS) to discuss possible
joint activities in Haiti, the Sunday Express was informed yesterday.

Participating in the meeting will be the UN's Under-Secretary General
for Peace-Keeping Operations, Jean-Marie Guehenao, Caricom Secretary
General Edwin Carrington, and Assistant Secretary General of the OAS,
Luigi Einaudi.

There are reports of conflicting positions between officials of the
UN's Political Affairs Department and those of its Department of
Peace-Keeping Operations, over the coordination of joint Caricom-OAS
activities in Haiti.

But this is an issue yet to be appropriately brought to the attention
of Community Heads of Government and a definitive position is not
expected at tomorrow's meeting.

While declining to provide any details on tomorrow's meeting at UN
headquarters, Carrington confirmed that an "official request" for an
international probe under UN auspices of Aristide's loss of power,
has not yet been made to the world body

He explained that the timing had everything to do with the modalities
and strategies under consideration for implementation of the decision
by Caricom to call for the international probe, and that these would
be disclosed at "the appropriate moment".

Carrington, who will be accompanied by the Community's Assistant
Secretary General for Foreign and Community Relations, Colin
Granderson, will leave today for New York.

He also said he did not wish to comment on remarks attributed to
Trinidad and Tobago's Foreign Affairs Minister, Knowlson Gift, which
were critical of Trinidad and Tobago diplomat, Reginald Dumas,
recently-appointed Special Adviser on Haiti to UN Secretary General
Kofi Annan.

Gift, in commenting on a report that Dumas had expressed surprise
over Caricom's delay in formally lodging its request for a probe by
the UN into Aristide's departure from office, said he was doubtful
about the Special Adviser's "justification for his observation",
since the investigation called for by Caricom was not within his
(Dumas's) "purview".

When contacted yesterday by the Sunday Express at his home in Tobago,
Dumas said: "All I am prepared to say on the remarks attributed to
Foreign Minister Gift is that I am quite surprised. However, the
minister's remarks only strenghten my commitment to Caricom."
.