8731: Haiti: Interim Lavalas leader praises progress made in negotiations (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

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


Haiti: Interim Lavalas leader praises progress made in negotiations
BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Jul 17, 2001

Text of report by Haitian Metropole radio on 16 July

[Announcer] The Lavalas spokesman saluted the spirit of conviviality that
prevailed during the negotiations. Yvon Neptune claims to be encouraged by
the progress that has been made and pleads in favour of the holding of
elections in a favourable climate with the participation of all sectors.
This is an excerpt of the statement made last night by the Lavalas interim
leader:

[Neptune - recording, in Creole] In fact, we made a lot of progress. But as
you know there are the existing problems that cause us to be in the
situation of blockage where the majority of the population is expecting a
political solution to the problem. Elections should be held and we all
agreed on that. But now we need to decide when those elections should take
place.

In the Lavalas Family, we gave clear indications and we created overtures.
On the part of the Convergence, they have points on which they would like to
be more comfortable. We agree for the elections to take place and that when
they do take place everybody can participate in them. We want everybody to
feel comfortable when running in those elections. Apparently, we have not
reached that point yet. It would require us to sit and continue with the
dialogue in a way that together we may get to create a climate of confidence
that will allow us to run in the elections.

While we are preparing for the holding of the elections, we will need to do
so in an environment where all of us will continue to make our contribution
to the tranquillity of the electoral process and electoral campaign. [End of
recording]

Source: Radio Metropole, Port-au-Prince, in French 1145 gmt 16 Jul 01

/BBC Monitoring/ © BBC.