a1453: BBC: Aristide Welcomes troublefree demo (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: JD Lemieux <lxhaiti@yahoo.com>


Haitian president welcomes trouble-free opposition
demonstration
BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Mar 25, 2002



Text of report by Haitian Metropole radio on 25 March

[Announcer] President Jean-Bertrand Aristide considers the
[Democratic] Convergence's [opposition] gathering on Friday
[22 March] a sign of political stability. On his return
from Monterrey [UN summit], Mexico on Saturday [23 March],
the head of state welcomed the fact that the Convergence
demonstration was able to take place without difficulty. He
took the opportunity to renew his call to hold elections at
the end of this year or in the first half of 2003. He
invited all political sectors to respect the rules of the
democratic game. He also asked the government to work
towards political stability in Haiti. His comments on the
Convergence gathering were as follows:

[Aristide, in Creole] Without political stability there
will not be lasting development. In order for political
stability to exist the state has a role to play, and the
country's citizens also have a role to play. For instance,
yesterday there was a nice demonstration of political
stability. Everybody respected the rules of the game.

If several political parties called a meeting like
yesterday's, [changes thought] apparently there were about
200 people at the gathering, according to what is said,
although I have not yet verified the number. They are free
to hold meetings. They are free to say what they think is
good. And other political parties and citizens must respect
that. The police should protect their right to assemble.
That gives more political stability. But if it is a
provocation then it will not lead to political stability.

Therefore, citizens have a responsibility not to cause
provocation.

The responsibility of the organizations is not to fall for
provocation or carry out provocation, it is instead to
respect everybody's rights, the right of each political
party, the right that every organization has to meet
whenever they want, to speak freely without hindrance. Then
political stability will not be threatened. As for me, as
head of state it is my responsibility to guarantee
political stability.

It is the government's duty to maintain that line of
political stability. Citizens, organizations, and political
parties should also protect political stability. For
instance, sometimes when two adults have issues with each
other, they speak like adults. But sometimes, if it is a
child who wants to draw people's attention, he can either
cry or behave in a way to get the adult to pay attention to
his needs. He can even provoke the adult by his behaviour.
We are all citizens and we should act like adults. We will
need to protect stability.

The opposition political parties will exercise all the
rights they already have so that when we get to the
elections - following discussions with them, of course - we
will find a country that offers them the possibility to
campaign freely, to run in elections freely. Then those who
are elected will be part of the territorial collectivities;
they will participate in the parliament so that stability
may benefit from electoral health, political health.

Source: Radio Metropole, Port-au-Prince, in French 1145 gmt
25 Mar 02

/BBC Monitoring/ © BBC.



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