9325: Lavalas spokesman reacts to apostolic nuncio's statement (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: MKarshan@aol.com

Lavalas spokesman reacts to apostolic nuncio's comments on Haitian crisis 
BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Oct 23, 2001

Text of report from the "0730 Appointment" Newscast, broadcast by Haitian Signal FM radio on 22 October 

The Lavalas Family [FL] was not long in reacting to the apostolic nuncio's statements. Jonas Petit, spokesman for the party, says FL won the 21 May 2000 elections and that it would not be good for the party to boycott the vote expressed by the people on 21 May. The FL spokesman believes that it is important that the discussions continue between the protagonists in order to resolve the Haitian crisis definitively. Petit answered Signal FM's questions as follows: 

[Petit - recording] We in FL went to the elections and won them. We are leading Haiti today under the principles provided for by the constitution. But it is also clear that the opposition's position is the same as that described by the apostolic nuncio, that is, that the power must be shared willy-nilly. We agree to give them the possibility to participate in power, but on the condition that the constitution of the country be respected, that is: When you want to come to power, you must go to elections and you must respect the rules of the game. It is true that the biggest problem we always have is that in Haiti a small clique, an extremely small minority always makes all decisions for the great majority of the Haitian people. Today, the Haitian people have entered the dynamics of democracy. They have assumed their responsibilities and say that today they are the ones to decide how power can be exercised under the constitution. [End of recording] 

Source: Signal FM Radio, Port-au-Prince, in Creole 1230 gmt 22 Oct 01 

/BBC Monitoring/ © BBC.

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