8247: Haiti: Highlights of Radio Metropole news (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Max Blanchet <maxblanchet@worldnet.att.net>

Haiti: Highlights of Radio Metropole news 1145 gmt 7 Jun 01
BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Jun 7, 2001

"The Morning News"; figures in brackets show the time elapsed since the
start of the programme

1. [00] Headlines

2. [03] Today is Latin-American Press Day. The Haitian Journalists
Association [AJH] is planning to grant four awards for the occasion: the
Jean Dominique Press Freedom Award, the Carlo Desinor Excellence Award, the
Gasner Raymond Best Reporter Award, and the Best Press Correspondent Award.
The Haitian Press Centre will hold a conference on the theme "The Press and
Democracy" at 0900 [local time].

3. [04] The OAS has adopted a resolution on Haiti. In this 10-point
resolution, the regional organization accepts President Aristide's proposal
for a way out of the crisis and stresses the urgency for a national
agreement. Correspondent Jean Numa Goudou reports the following: "In its
10-point resolution, the OAS asks the Haitian government to form a
Provisional Electoral Council [CEP] that is credible, independent and
neutral. This request takes into account the resignation of the seven
contested senators mentioned in Aristide's letter. The formation of the CEP
as proposed in Aristide's letter and taken into account by the OAS in the
second phase of its resolution should represent for the OAS a necessary step
towards the creation of a climate of mutual trust that is favourable to an
agreement between the government, the political parties, and civil society.

The problem, however, is how to implement the resolutions in 15 days and
meet expectations. In the fifth point, the OAS assembly resolves to ask the
government, political parties, and civil society to fully commit themselves
to the realization of that objective. According to the resolution, the
persistence of the crisis is of great concern. It is urgent to normalize
Haiti's financial relations with the international community, the assembly
emphasized. However, at the same time, the OAS insists on the need for the
talks to be resumed. In this case, the OAS permanent council was asked to
examine the terms, the modalities, the budget, the financing, and other
possibilities concerning a possible mission to Haiti. For, in the first
point of the document, the assembly reiterates its deep concern with the
persistence of the crisis. In effect, the OAS is [word indistinct] between
preoccupation, the quick formation of a new CEP before 25 June, a new
mission in Haiti, and the resumption of the negotiations. How to relate
those issues and how to bring together the Lavalas Family and the
Convergence within the framework of that resolution in two weeks time? That
is the question."

4. [07] The Senate of the Republic warmly welcomes the OAS resolution on
Haiti. Lavalas parliamentarians are optimistic about the future. While
blaming and criticizing the Convergence, the contested senators are thankful
that they chose what to them represents the winning camp.

5. [10] The US government has reacted to the announcement that seven
senators resigned. In a public statement yesterday, US Ambassador Brian Dean
Curran affirmed that his country welcomes the resignation of those seven
senators as a positive gesture capable of leading to a negotiation process
to resolve all the problems stemming from the 21 May elections. Ambassador
Curran thinks that the OAS resolution is an encouraging step that can lead
to such negotiations. As mentioned in the resolution, a satisfactory ending
will depend on the fulfilment of the commitments and the participation and
good will of all parties, according to the ambassador. The United States
encourages all parties to take this opportunity to end the political
stand-off in the interests of the Haitian nation.

6. [11] The Canadian government advocates once again the conclusion of a
political agreement between the protagonists to resolve the crisis following
the adoption of the OAS resolution. According to Canadian Ambassador Gilles
Bernier, nothing is set yet despite the OAS resolution calling for the
formation of a credible CEP and the holding of early elections in 2002.
Ambassador Bernier thinks that it is essential for President Aristide to
respect the commitments he made to the OAS. The Canadian diplomat hopes that
the other parties involved in the crisis will facilitate the signing of a
national settlement to end the crisis.

7. [14] The vice-president of the Episcopal Conference is very critical of
the OAS resolution. The Jacmel bishop thinks that the hemispheric
organization is trying to get itself out of the situation by obtaining the
agreement with the Lavalas Family. He thinks that the OAS resolution,
instead of leading to true negotiations, favours the current government in
its effort to exert complete control over all institutions. Bishop Guyo
Paulard [phonetic] supports genuine negotiations between the Haitian parties
that can result in a compromise.

8. [16] Ads

9. [21] Opinion poll survey.

10. [23] President Aristide is getting ready to form the new Provisional
Electoral Council following the acceptance by the OAS of his plan for a
solution. This new CEP should hold early legislative elections next year.
This will be the fourth CEP in two years under the Lavalas regime. Aristide
promised to set up a new CEP that will have representatives from the
government, the legislature, the Lavalas Family party, the Convergence and
the religious sector. The president specified that in case one of those
parties refuses to designate a representative, the above-mentioned sectors
will take action. This formula risks creating a new crisis because the
Convergence has already rejected the proposals that the Haitian president
submitted to the OAS.

11. [27] The Centre-Pont [phonetic] human rights organization reports that
52 opposition militants are seeking political asylum in the Dominican
Republic and Venezuela. Paul Arthur Fleurival, who stood in the 26 November
presidential election, is among them. According to Centre-Pont, 49 Haitians
have already crossed the Dominican border to escape from persecution from
Lavalas partisans. They are asking for protection from the Dominican
president and vice-president as well as from Archbishop Rodriguez so that
they can be granted political asylum. There are about 10 children in the
group with their parents. The same source reveals that there are three
political refugees in the Venezuelan embassy.

12. [28] A new team has been installed in the Court of Cassation. The
president of the republic has named eight new members to the highest court.

13. [31] Judge Claudy Gassant is hoping to hand down his ruling soon on the
Jean Dominique murder. Gassant confirms that he is on the right track and is
determined to finish his task. Dany Toussaint was summoned for a hearing
yesterday but did not appear. The judge deplored this absence and plans to
set another hearing. He explained that since the beginning of the week, all
those close to Toussaint who were summoned did not respond. When questioned
on the possible charging of the 21 May senator, the judge simply said that
the witnesses that were heard in this affair did not come with their
lawyers. That was not always the senator's case. Last week, Senator
Toussaint said that he was ready to defend himself. He asked the Senate not
to hesitate to remove his immunity in the event that he is charged.

14. [32] Amnesty International supports the arrest of former General Prosper
Avril.

15. [33] Ads followed by international news

16. [47] News summary

17. [49] Economic Segment with Kesner Pharel

18. [55] The government wants to facilitate school openings in September by
subsidizing school material and canteens. The government will sponsor
120,000 children this coming school year.

Source: Radio Metropole, Port-au-Prince, in French 1145 gmt 7 Jun 01

/BBC Monitoring/ © BBC.