8142: Highlights of Radio Galaxie news (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

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

1.   Haiti: Highlights of Radio Galaxie news 1800 gmt 31 May 01

Haiti: Highlights of Radio Galaxie news 1800 gmt 31 May 01
BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; May 31, 2001


>From "The World at the 1300 Thermometer" news programme; figures in brackets
indicate times in minutes elapsed since start of programme

The joint OAS-Caricom (Caribbean Community) mission left the country this
morning without finding a solution to the crisis. Neither the Lavalas Family
(FL) nor the Democratic Convergence budged from their positions on the 21
May elections. However, Foreign Minister Joseph Philippe Antonio told
reporters at the airport this morning that Jean-Bertrand Aristide gave a
letter to the joint mission with proposals for a new approach that should be
discussed at the OAS General Assembly, which will be held in Costa Rica from
3 to 5 June.

OAS Secretary-General Cesar Gaviria said that the climate is not yet right
for negotiations. He therefore called for civil society to work on creating
the right climate.

Interim national FL leader Yvon Neptune said that the FL is willing to make
concessions on the vote-counting method used for eight Senate seats as
requested by the OAS. Regarding possible sanctions, he expressed surprise
that Haitians are trying to complicate the country's situation by
influencing the population.

Deputy Wilner Content, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the
Chamber of Deputies, announced that a delegation of parliamentarians and
government members will travel to New York on 8 June to meet with members of
the Black Caucus and Democratic Party. The meeting is being organized by FL
militants living in the United States.

Haitian National Police (PNH) spokesman Jean Dady Simeon this morning set
the record straight about an alleged conflict within CIMO (crowd control
unit). He affirmed that CIMO agents have assured their superiors that they
made no statements to the press that they have not been paid on time. Simeon
said that the reports were fabricated by an unidentified sector in order to
provoke a mutiny during the visit of the OAS-Caricom mission.

The dissident branch of the National Congress of Democratic Movements
(Konakom) led by Dunois Eric Cantave has issued a communique demanding the
departure of the Lavalas government. According to the communique, misery is
intolerable and the Haitian people cannot withstand sanctions. The people
must use all democratic means to force the government to leave power and
make way for a credible alternative.

The Haitian Journalists' Association (AJH) praises the release of journalist
Francon [phonetic] Raphael yesterday, who works for a community radio
station and who was arrested on 27 May in Belle Anse for protesting about
the arrest of an individual. The AJH had protested against Raphael's arrest,
which took place late at night.

The General Directorate of Taxes (DGI) plans to increase pressure on
business establishments that are behind in their tax payments. The DGI will
publish a list of about 1,100 firms which that owe the government more than
442m gourdes. Consequences for non-payment include arrest and freezing of
accounts, according to the DGI.

Former Justice Minister Camille Leblanc has rejected Dany Toussaint's
allegations that he was involved in a plot to arrest him and implicate him
in the murder of Jean Dominique. The former minister said that he was never
directly involved in the murder investigation, because, as the justice
minister, his duties were to oversee the judiciary. He added, however, that
from the beginning Toussaint was reluctant to cooperate in the
investigation.

The Gerard Gourgue Institute is among the schools whose students have been
disqualified from taking the state-run final exams. School official Carol
Gourgue explained that school officials have been working on meeting the
criteria since February, but that some of the students were not validated.

Source: Radio Galaxie, Port-au-Prince, in French 1800 gmt 31 May 01

/BBC Monitoring/ © BBC.