23009: Esser: Avoid Disunity With Haiti (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: D. Esser <torx@joimail.com>

The Nation, Barbados
http://www.nationnews.com/
StoryView.cfm?Record=52355&Section=Editorial&Current=2004-08-18 00:00:00

Avoid Disunity With Haiti

August 10, 2004

IT WOULD be most ironic should the historic unity of the Caribbean
Community (CARICOM) be jeopardised because of disagreements among
some Heads of Government on the basis for the interim Haitian regime
participating in the business of CARICOM pending the restoration of
constitutional governance.

Whatever the real or imagined reasons, there are more than a few
signals that some within CARICOM are currently inclined to push ahead
for a majority vote – instead of consensus – to resolve the impasse
over conditionalities for participation by the interim Haitian regime
in the business of the Community.

Majority decision could be taken in accordance with Article 28 of the
revised CARICOM Treaty. There is, however, much uneasiness in
travelling such a route. For a start, there is no known example of
CARICOM leaders jettisoning traditional consensus for a majority vote
on a contentious issue of hemispheric and international significance
– as presented by the Haiti issue.

The Prime Minister of St Lucia, Kenny Anthony, who has portfolio
responsibility within CARICOM for Justice and Governance, while
conscious of Article 28, went on record last week with a very
relevant observation:

CARICOM, he said, should be mindful in dealing with the “exceedingly
troubling Haitian situation” that Haiti be made to understand that
“not each time it gets into difficulties, the way to correct
deformities in its democracy is to resort to violence and lawlessness
that render constitutional governance ineffective and meaningless”.

The latest disagreement on the modalities of seating the interim
Haitian regime in CARICOM, has resulted from a recommendation of the
CARICOM Bureau to “fully engage” the administration in Port-au-Prince
in the interest of the Haitian people, including the realisation of
competitive elections for constitutional and democratic government.

The Bureau’s recommendation at a meeting in Grenada last month, was
based on a report submitted by a fact-finding ministerial mission to
Haiti that was headed by the Foreign Minister of Barbados, Dame
Billie Miller.

Heads of Government have been requested to communicate their
respective responses through the Community Secretariat by next
Monday, August 16, ahead of a scheduled special CARICOM Summit in
Port-of-Spain in November.

Some of the responses have so far reflected sharp differences on what
a number of Heads of Government regard as "unprecedented haste" to
get the interim regime on board CARICOM.

The Prime Minister of St.Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves,
has gone the furthest with his threat to boycott any CARICOM meeting
at which Haiti's interim Prime Minister, Gerard Latortue, is present
and “not consistent with our original principled position for Haiti’s
participation in CARICOM affairs . . . .”

This is a very disturbing development. We urge all concerned to spare
no effort to ensure that traditional unity within the Community is
preserved in the quest to arrive at a principled basis for Haiti’s
return to the councils of CARICOM. It cannot be beyond the capacity
of our leaders to achieve this.
.