a520: BBC: A Caricom fact-finding delegation will arrive inPort-au-Prince today. (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Robert Benodin <r.benodin@worldnet.att.net>


Haiti: Highlights of Radio Metropole news 1145 gmt 28 Jan 02
BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Jan 29, 2002


2. A Caricom fact-finding delegation will arrive in Port-au-Prince today.
The members of the delegation will be meeting all the sectors involved in
the Haitian crisis. The Caricom delegation will investigate the 17 December
events. (1 min)
3. The leaders of the Democratic Convergence claim to be ready to meet the
Caricom delegation. The Convergence hopes that that the delegation's work
will be impartial. Paul Denis said: "We hope that, this time, the Caricom
representatives will take the time to meet with all the important sectors
capable of giving critical information on the country's situation." (1 min)
4. The head of state is carrying out consultations on a candidate to replace
Jean-Marie Cherestal as prime minister. The new cabinet will not have much
room to manoeuvre. They will only focus on the implementation of the Lavalas
Family, FL, programme that is outlined in the official report. (3 min)
5. The Democratic Convergence does not intend to take part in the next
Lavalas government. According to the opposition leaders, this government is
already bound to fail due to the autocratic nature of the regime. (3 min)
[translating]
6. The US ambassador in Port-au-Prince considers Haiti's cooperation in the
fight against drug trafficking to be lukewarm. The US diplomat says he is
disappointed with the results of last year's Operation Hurricane, which was
a joint operation between the DEA and the Haitian National Police.
Ambassador Brian Dean Curran denounced the role played by the Lavalas
elected representatives in the release of known drug traffickers following
Operation Hurricane. (3 min)
7. Ads. (3 min)
8. People from the poor areas of the capital broke into the National Port
Authority, APN, warehouse yesterday. The poor people had heard about the
rice scandal involving Lavalas officials and went to get their share of the
cake. The Intervention and Maintenance of Order Company, CIMO, was brutal
towards the crowd. Many arrests were made. (2 min)
9. Regarding the rice scandal, Senator Pierre Sancon Prince has got rid of
the yellow card that was given to him by the Aristide Foundation for
Democracy to authorize him to obtain rice from the APN. (2 min)
10. A large number of businessmen claim to be offended by the Lavalas rice
scandal. They also denounce the privileges given to the Lavalas Pou Nou Tout
[For Us All] cooperative to import and sell rice on the market. They protest
against the favouritism that was shown. (4 min)
11. The president of the Haitian Chamber of Commerce urges the Lavalas
regime to put an end to the subsidized rice operation via the Pou Nou Tout
Cooperative. According to Maurice Lafortune, it is unfair competition
vis-a-vis the businessmen, who are facing an extremely difficult economic
situation. (3 min)
12. [28] The press is in the sights of the government as a result of the
rice scandal. The Lavalas spokesman blamed journalists and businessmen for
spreading the story of the scandal. However, he neglected to mention Deputy
Nawoon Marcellus, who started the scandal. (4 min)
17. Special guest commentary by National Port Authority Director Fritz
Aristile on the rice scandal that caused a mob to break into the APN
warehouse. (16 min)
Source: Radio Metropole, Port-au-Prince, in French 1145 gmt 28 Jan 02
/BBC Monitoring/ © BBC.