8398: Highlights of Radio Signal FM news (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

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

Haiti: Highlights of Radio Signal FM news 1230 gmt 20 Jun 01
BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Jun 20, 2001

"0730 Appointment" news; figures in brackets indicate times in minutes
elapsed since start of programme; passages within double oblique strokes in
French

1. [00] The news begins at 1200 gmt with a recording of Jean Dominique's
greeting to his wife with which he used to open his programme, "Good
morning, Michele [Montas]" and her live response, "Good morning, Jean".
Montas then presents a short editorial comparing Dominique to a giant tree
[mapou] that fell on 3 April 2000 [when he was murdered]. She speaks of the
need for justice to be done.

2. [01] Haiti Inter identification spot with Dominique's recorded words:
"They have tried everything. [They have tried] to nibble at us, to hammer
us, to electrocute us, to drown us, to siphon us. It has been like that for
more than 50 years and there is no reason for that to stop. They can still
try to crush us, to machine-gun us, to circumvent us, to slander us, to
corner us, to grind us, to clear us and to misrepresent us. It has been like
that for more than 50 years. Is there a reason for that to stop? Yes, just
one: Things must change in Haiti. For the freedom of the press, Radio Haiti
in the service of the Haitian people, 1330 MHz AM and 106.1 MHz FM."

3. [03] Ads announcing that Dominique was killed on 3 April 2000 and that
justice has not yet been done despite all the steps that have been taken,
all the promises that been made and all the things that have been said.

4. [03] Headlines followed by ads.

5. [06] Report on the dollar exchange rate versus gourdes in Haitian banks
yesterday.

6. [09] International news followed by ads.

7. [16] Ads demanding justice for Jean Dominique and condemning impunity and
insecurity in Haiti.

8. [19] Officials from the Lavalas Family, FL, the Democratic Convergence,
and the Civil Society Initiative Group, GISC, have been holding meetings for
two days within the framework of the steps being taken to form a new
Provisional Electoral Council, CEP. The deadline for the formation of this
CEP is 25 June. Members of the executive branch, including the president's
chief of staff, participated in these meetings. They call it an exploratory
meeting. Both parties met again yesterday. The press has been excluded from
the meetings.

The personalities who participated include Port-au-Prince Archbishop Serge
Miot, Andre Apaid, Pauris Jean-Bapiste, Edouard Paultre, Maurice Lafortune
for the GISC; former Senator Paul Denis, Micha Gaillard, Ariel Henrys for
the Democratic Convergence; and Senator Yvon Neptune, Senator Gerald Gilles
and spokesman Jonas Petit for the FL. Although the parties did not want to
comment on these meetings, Micha Gaillard said the Convergence is not bound
by the 25 June deadline for the formation of the CEP. Professor Victor
Benoit, another Convergence official, told Radio Haiti Inter yesterday that
the formation of the CEP should be the result of a political agreement.

9. [25] FL spokesman Petit accused Convergence members of stalling for time
because they did not want to make commitments during the discussions held
over the past two days. Petit says these discussions focused on a number of
proposals by the GISC for the formation of the CEP. The GISC proposed among
other things that the CEP be appointed from nine different sectors of
Haitian society. Convergence representatives, however, said that they did
not have a mandate to negotiate. The following is an excerpt from Petit's
statements: "//There was a problem within the Convergence as they said that
the people just came here to hear, to explore but not to make decisions. So
we feel that there was a problem with delaying tactics, all the more so
since the OAS resolution compels us to set up the CEP by 25 June at the
latest.//" Petit added that after about 10 hours of discussions, the
Convergence representatives stood up and said that their mandate had expired
and that they can go no further without consulting their directorate.

10. [32] In a communique issued by the Assembly of Progressive National
Democrats, RDNP, the party expressed its reservations about these meetings,
which party leaders compare to the 6 March 1999 Agreement [between the
Democratic Consultation Group, Espace, and President Rene Preval on
formation of a CEP]. RDNP has decided to remain on the sidelines while
awaiting information on the discussions between FL and the Convergence.

11. [33] OAS Assistant Secretary-General Luigi Einaudi is expected to
present today at the OAS Permanent Council a report on his latest visit to
Haiti.

12. [34] Ads followed by news summary and ads.

13. [37] Ads against insecurity in Haiti with the voice of Jean Dominique.

14. [38] Headlines to be developed soon and ads.

15. [39] The vote on the budget of the republic is deadlocked in the Chamber
of Deputies. This is because of a group of deputies who are protesting
against the current Chamber of Deputies executive office. The protesters
require from the president of the Chamber of Deputies a report on his
management in compliance with Article 12 of the internal rules of the
chamber. It should be pointed out that the deputies on 13 June passed three
of the six articles of the rectifying budget law.

16. [43] The General Directorate of Taxes, DGI, announces measures to force
enterprises to pay taxes that are due. Lustin Murray, spokesman for the DGI,
says the bank accounts of five companies will be frozen soon as part of the
DGI's tax-collection efforts.

17. [46] Diplomacy: Preparations have begun for the summit of the heads of
Francophone States. President Aristide is planning to attend this summit in
Beirut in October. Culture and Communication Minister Guy Paul, who took
part in the third conference of the French-speaking ministers of culture on
14 and 15 June in Benin, comments on what was discussed at this conference.
Everybody should acknowledge that every culture is valuable, according to
Paul, who explained that the main theme of the conference was cultural
diversity.

18. [52] Ads.

19. [54] Ads on impunity in Haiti. In Radio Haiti, we can dream with open
eyes, but we will never forget. We want only one thing: justice for Jean Do.

20. [55] Michele Montas has received letters from Amnesty International and
other organizations. She reads some of these letters demanding justice for
Dominique. Montas says some of the letters she receives are copies of
letters that were actually sent to the head of state on the need to put an
end to impunity in Haiti and to do justice for Dominique. All those who
participate in murder investigations should be protected, according to these
letters. Montas reads other letters sent either to Aristide or to the
justice minister to demand justice for Dominique. She says she received 20
new letters yesterday.

21. [59] The Foreign Ministry invites the relatives of those who were killed
by Dominican soldiers in Guayabil on 18 June 2000 to send formal requests
for justice and compensation. It was said that investigations would be
conducted to identify the culprits and bring them to trial. In a report on
human rights abuses in the Dominican Republic, Amnesty International asks
that soldiers involved in killing Haitians and other human rights violations
be brought to trial.

22. [63] Playing of the national anthem at the time the flag is normally
raised in the country.

23. [64] The Port-au-Prince public prosecutor, Attorney Josue Pierre-Louis,
announced that his office has brought the case of former General Prosper
Avril before the Court of Cassation. According to Pierre-Louis, the Court of
Appeal's order to release the former general is illegal given that the
matter has already been referred to the Office of the Examining Judge. It
will be up to the Court of Cassation to rule on the case. In the meantime,
the former general is still in jail. The public prosecutor criticized the
general's lawyers, notably lawyer Rigaud Duplan, whom he accused of lying.

24. [68] The Democratic Consultation Group, Espace, denounces a climate of
political repression in the country. Evans Paul, leader of Espace, explains
that several members of the group have been murdered or illegally arrested
by government officials. "//We are very worried about the cases of Vanel
Pierre and Patrick Jonais, who were abducted on Sunday, 10 June, at 1000
[local time] in Delmas 27 by a police commando in police vehicle No 108.
They were taken to the Delmas Police Station. When their relatives went to
visit them, the police told them that they should no longer count on those
people and that they should try to get other children if they are crazy
about children. Espace denounces the case of political assassination - in
broad daylight in the Delmas 4 area - of Eddy Francois, a militant of the
Convention for Democratic Unity, KID, on 18 May; of Jean-Jacques Dunois,
another KID militant on 23 May; and a person called Ernso, a KID sympathizer
in the same month of May.//"

25. [70] Report by Les Cayes correspondent: Criminal trials without juries
began on Monday, 18 June, in Les Cayes and will last eight days. The cases
of 11 persons allegedly involved in murders, rapes and robberies will be
heard. Justice officials there say they are working to meet the people's
demands. They deny that the judicial machinery in Les Cayes is poor.

26. [73] International news followed by ads.

27. [80] Report on the dollar exchange rates versus gourdes used by Haitian
banks.

28. [81] Ads inviting business people to let Radio Haiti Inter take care of
their ads to promote their businesses.

29. [82] Problem of Poverty and Underdevelopment was yesterday's theme on
the first working day of the three-day international seminar on poverty and
strategies for development in Haiti organized by the Haitian Platform for
Alternative Development. Haiti's economic situation is critical, speakers
remarked. Professor Camille Charles said that among the 49 least developed
countries, Haiti is one of 11 in constant regression. Reports Critical of
World Bank and IMF development programmes were analysed.

30. [86] A three-day seminar on entrepreneurship in Haiti's rural sector is
taking place at the Christopher Hotel. The purpose of this seminar is to
increase the participation of rural entrepreneurs in local development
activities.

31. [91] Ads.

32. [93] International news.

33. [95] Sports.

Source: Signal FM Radio, Port-au-Prince, in French 1200 gmt 20 Jun 01

/BBC Monitoring/ © BBC.