#2883: OAS Secretary General's Statement on Haiti (fwd)

[Robert Corbett <bcorbett@netcom.com>]

From: Mary Durran <durranmary@hotmail.com>

Here is for information a statement made by the OAS Secretary General on 
Haiti and elections:


Organization of American States

Press Release                                                                
                (E-054/00)
March 17, 2000



OAS SECRETARY GENERAL STATEMENT ON HAITI

The Organization of American States views with grave concern the impasse 
between the Government of Haiti and the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) 
to establish a definitive date for the Legislative, Municipal and Local 
Elections in Haiti.  The OAS believes that the realization of these 
elections as soon as technically feasible is crucial for the democratic 
development of Haiti.  It is the opinion of the OAS Observation Mission 
that, with a maximum effort by the CEP to complete the registration of 
voters, finalize the voter lists, train pollworkers and fulfill other 
necessary preparations, the date of April 9 can be maintained.

The OAS calls on the Government of Haiti to decree as soon as possible an 
election date that will allow for the completion of the necessary 
preparations and will permit the installation of a democratically-elected 
parliament on the constitutionally mandated June date.  To not respect the 
constitutional requirements for seating parliament would represent a further 
disturbing weakening of the process of democratic consolidation in Haiti.


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