From: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu (Rich Winkel)
Subject: Haiti: Little Hope for Political Resolution of Crisis
Followup-To: alt.activism.d
Originator: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
Organization: PACH
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1992 01:29:21 GMT

/** reg.carib: 293.0 **/
** Topic: IPS:Haiti - little hope for politic **
** Written  4:53 pm  Sep 11, 1992 by caribdesk in cdp:reg.carib **
From: Bob Thomson <caribdesk>
Subject: IPS:Haiti - little hope for political re

/* Written 12:10 am  Sep 10, 1992 by newsdesk in cdp:ips.englibrary */
/* ---------- "HAITI: LITTLE HOPE FOR POLITICAL RE" ---------- */
Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: HAITI: LITTLE HOPE FOR POLITICAL RESOLUTION OF CRISIS

washington, sep 7 (ips) -- the absence of prospects for a
political solution to the haitian crisis has become glaringly
evident following four days of inconclusive talks here between
representatives of ousted president jea-bertrand aristide and the
de facto government.

the meeting, mediated by organization of american states (oas)
secretary-general joao baena soares, ended friday without
agreement and devoid of any encouraging signs.

''this phase has ended,'' catholic priest atoine adrien said
laconically after his series of meetings with de facto foreign
minister francois benoit.

however, benoit, who represented the government of de facto
prime minister marc bazin, said he wished to have another round
of negotiations ''as soon as possible,'' since dialogue between
haitians was important.

in a brief communique following the encounter, baena soares
said that while the two sides did not reach an agreement
susceptible of yielding immediate results, he felt the
conversations were useful because they marked the opening of a
new communication channel.

the meeting, the first between a recognized haitian government
with absolutely no power in the caribbean country and an illegal
regime which enjoys near absolute power there, was called by the
oas secretary-general following a mission he led to haiti in
mid-august.

the 50-member mission included representatives of oas member
countries, the united nations, the caribbean community and the
european community.

however, last week's encounter scarcely reflected the optimism
baena soares had demonstrated at the end of his mission in
mid-august, when he said there was an atmosphere conducive to a
dialogue that could lead to a political resolution of the crisis
sparked by aristide's ouster in a sep. 30 military coup.

the talks had been originally scheduled to last one day,
sep.1, and their prolongation had spawned optimism among oas
members.

their hopes began to dissipate friday when, at a press
conference, adrien said his interest in the talks was to get the
oas to send a civilian mission to haiti ensure the
reestablishment of civil freedoms there.

on the contrary, foreign minister benoit was interested in
obtaining direct dialogue between aristide and bazin, designated
by the military, de facto president joseph nerette and
parliamentary leaders in may. (more)
----


however, adrien said dialogue betwee bazin and aristide was
useless because the de facto prime minister had been incapable of
controlling the violence and repression unleashed by the
putschists, which showed that he was powerless.

humanitarian organizations like amnesty international and the
committee of lawyers for human rights have painted discouraging
tableaux of the generalized military repression in haiti in
separate reports.

beana soares himself admitted after the four-day meeting that
the increasing violence and repression in the caribbean country
were of deep concern to him.

with its participants motivated by radically different
objectives , the meeting ended without agreement and without any
prospects for a follow-up.

and the scant interest of the two participants in the
encounter manifested itself in various ways, as on thursday when
the oas secretary-general waited in vain for several hours for
them to return to the oas headquarters to resume their talks.

and on friday evening, when they were to have returned to the
negotiation tablz, only adrien appeared. he left an hour later
after his interlocutor failed to show up, although the two did
meet later that night.

the oas has been involved in the haitian crisis from day one
of the sep. 30 coup and, on oct. 8, 1991, it slapped an economic
and trade embargo on haiti to force the military to step down.

the hemispheric body also created a civilian mission to
monitor democracy and human rights in haiti, but has still not
reached an agreement on sending it to the caribbean nation.
(end/ips/trd/so/mas-vh/kb/92)
----


** End of text from cdp:reg.carib **

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