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21576: erzilidanto: CPM-Letter/PRESS RELEASE-For official CARICOM investigation request (fwd)



From: Erzilidanto@aol.com

Date: April 27, 2004

Subject: PRESS RELEASE/HAITI - demand for an U.N. investigation.

From: Haitian Lawyers Leadership Network  

(See, http://www.margueritelaurent.com/pressclips/concerns.html

or the Haitiaction.net )

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Action: Circulate

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Subject: FW: CPM- LETTER RE HAITI / PRESS RELEASE





CLEMENT PAYNE MOVEMENT


Clement Payne Cultural Centre


Crumpton Street


Bridgetown, Barbados


Tel: 437-8216 / 435-2334


23 April 2004


Mr. Edwin Carrington


Secretary-General


CARICOM


C/o The Barbados Pavilion


Hastings


Christ Church


Barbados




Dear Mr. Carrington


Re: HAITI



I write to you as the representative of a coalition of some 11 people’s

organizations from the Caribbean nations of Haiti, St. Lucia, Trinidad and

Tobago, Guyana, Antigua, and Barbados, which met in Barbados on the 20th of

March 2004 and developed a Caribbean people’s analysis and statement on the

situation in Haiti.


The central component of our analysis and statement consisted of an

expression of approval of and admiration for the position taken by CARICOM

in issuing a call for an investigation under the auspices of the United

Nation into the circumstances surrounding President Aristide’s

unconstitutional ouster from office, and a request that CARICOM take

immediate and effectual steps to actualize its “call” by piloting an

appropriate resolution in the General Assembly of the United Nations.


We are now extremely concerned however, that CARICOM appears to be guilty of

undue delay in making any concrete effort to officially place this matter

before the U.N. General Assembly or indeed before any other relevant organ

or officer of the United Nations.


Our concern has been heightened in recent days by the following reported

developments:-


(1)               U.N Secretary –General Kofi Annan has declared that he is

unable to act on the matter of a probe into Aristide’s ouster unless he has

a formal request to do so either from the Security Council or CARICOM;


(2)               UN spokesman Farhan Haq has informed the IPS news agency

that – “We have read news reports that CARICOM wants a U.N investigation,

but unless we receive an official request …….. from CARICOM …….. we cannot

act on it,” and


(3)               Reginald Dumas, the U.N special adviser on Haiti was

quoted as saying that he is surprised at CARICOM’s delay.


Now, we are only too well aware that the governments of CARICOM have been

subjected to enormous pressure and evil threats by the governments of the

U.S.A and France in order to intimidate our governments into backing off

from their just and reasonable demand for an U.N. investigation.


We therefore wish, through your good offices, to say to all of our CARICOM

Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Heads of Government that the people of the

Caribbean are watching them intently and expect them to rise to the occasion

and to demonstrate the strength, courage, integrity and vision that is now

more than ever required of the leaders of small, black, Third World nations

facing an aggressive threat of re-colonisation and disregard of their

independence and sovereignty by the government of the U.S.A  and other

imperialist European forces.


Should CARICOM back down from its call for a UN investigation it will be

sending a dangerous signal of weakness to those forces intent on dominating

our region, and will expose our regional organization to worldwide ridicule

and loss of face. In addition CARICOM will be perpetrating a colossal

betrayal of the people of Haiti and the Caribbean that will be recorded in

our history as an episode of infamy and disgrace.


We therefore call upon the Foreign Ministers of CARICOM currently meeting in

Barbados to use this meeting to decide upon a precise and urgent deadline

for the submission of an official CARICOM resolution and demand to the

General Assembly of the U.N and to Secretary General Kofi Annan, and to urge

our Heads of Government to accept and adhere to such a deadline.

We look forward to hearing a public official announcement on this matter by

CARICOM as a matter of urgency.


Yours faithfully

David A. Comissiong

President


cc.        The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas,

Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Kitts & Nevis, St.

Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.

****


CLEMENT PAYNE MOVEMENT

Clement Payne Cultural Centre

Crumpton Street

Bridgetown, Barbados


Tel: 437-8216 / 435-2334


PRESS RELEASE



Caribbean Civil Society Intervention On Haiti Issue


A coalition of Caribbean Civil Society organisations intervened at the

meeting of CARICOM’s  “Council For Foreign And Community Relations” (COFCOR)

in Bridgetown, Barbados on Friday 23rd April 2004, in order to demand that

CARICOM stand firm on its call for a United Nations investigation into

President Aristide’s ouster, and that the council of CARICOM Foreign

Ministers decide upon a “precise and urgent” date for the submission of a

CARICOM resolution to the United Nations General Assembly mandating such an

investigation.


A three person delegation led by Mr. David Comissiong, President of the

Clement Payne Movement of Barbados and representing eleven (11)

non-governmental organisations from the Caribbean nations of Haiti, Trinidad

and Tobago, St.Lucia, Guyana, Antigua, and Barbados presented letters to

Caricom Secretary –General Edwin Carrington and to all of the CARICOM

Foreign Ministers who were present at the COFCOR meeting at the Barbados

Pavilion on the outskirts of Bridgetown.

Attached hereto is a copy of the said letter.


The organisations represented by Mr. Comissiong and his colleagues Mr. David

Denny and Mrs. Thelma Gill Barnett are listed as follows: -


1.                  Clement Payne Movement (Barbados)


2.                  Emancipation Support Committee (Trinidad & Tobago)


3.                  Pan-Caribbean Congress (Antigua, St. Vincent, Barbados,

St. Lucia)


4.                  Veye-Yo (Haitian Diaspora)


5.                  Women of Color in the “Global Women’s Strike”


6.                  DAWN Caribbean


7.                  Organization For National Empowerment (St. Lucia).


8.                  African Cultural and Development Association (Guyana)


9.                  Israel Lovell Foundation (Barbados)


10.              Federation des Organisations des Femmes de Petion-Ville

(Haiti)


11.              Centre de Reintegration Economique et Sociale des Femmes

Haitiennes (Haiti)


Edmund Douglas


Public Relations Officer

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