a12021: Pres. Aristide tells opposition "time for compromise hascome" (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: MKarshan@aol.com

Haiti's Aristide tells opposition "time for compromise has come"
BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; May 13, 2002

within double oblique strokes in Creole

[Announcer] President Jean-Bertrand Aristide is reaching out to the opposition once again for a resolution to the crisis. Aristide hopes to reach a compromise with the Convergence by 18 May, which is our Flag Day. The head of state, on his return from a UN session on children in New York, warns the opposition against the persistence of the crisis. According to Aristide, that blocking risks causing harm to the opposition in the next elections. Aristide said the following:

[Aristide - recording] //There are elections that are to be held. As the people are intelligent they will ask many candidates a series of questions to learn about the role they played in the embargo issue. When they realize that during a certain time you played a specific role, and that on another occasion you stood up on the hill of maturity and that you changed tactics, then the people will change tactics too, because they are very intelligent.// For political and electoral reasons, if I were in the opposition I would not fail to seize this favourable occasion. For in politics there is a time for opposition and a time for compromise. The time for compromise has come. Personally, I do not want pride to prevent me from reaching out to my brothers in the opposition while hoping that you also, dear compatriots of the opposition, you will take me at my word so that at the eve of the celebration of our Flag Day, we will at least find a compromise on the economic sanctions. [End of recording]

Source: Radio Metropole, Port-au-Prince, in French 1145 gmt 13 May 02

/¸ BBC Monitoring