[HaitiReport] Haiti Report for September 28, 2007
 
Date: Fri, 28 Sep 2007 06:35:29 -0500 (CDT)

Haiti Report for September 28, 2007

The Haiti Report is a summary compilation of events as described in
Haiti and international media prepared by Konbit Pou Ayiti/KONPAY. It
does not reflect the opinions of any individual or organization. This
service is intended to create a better understanding of the situation
in Haiti by presenting the reader with reports that provide a variety
of perspectives on the situation. To make a donation to support this
service: Konbit Pou Ayiti, 7 Wall Street, Gloucester, MA, 01930 or
visit our website: www.konpay.org

IN THIS REPORT:
- President Preval Says Haiti No Longer a Failed State
- Prime Minister Alexis Says Haiti Creating Environment for Investors
- President Preval Supports Independent Committee Investigation for
Unsolved Journalist Murders
- Brazil's Top Diplomat Says Haiti's Security Climate Requires
Development
- Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier Issues Apology; Preval Says Court
will Try to Recover Stolen Millions
- US Embassy Bars Personnel from Flying Caribintair, a Domestic
Airline Grounded in Haiti
- Dominican Republic Deploys New Force to Protect Border
- Former Prime Minister Latortue Speaks Out on Behalf of Dominican
Republic
- Corruption Investigation Leads to Mixed Reactions

President Preval Says Haiti No Longer a Failed State:
Haitian President Rene Preval told the U.N. General Assembly
Wednesday the Caribbean country is on its way to escaping the stigma
of being labeled a failed state because of its recent economic and
security gains. Mr. Preval got a show of political support from
senior U.S., European and Latin American diplomats on the sidelines
of the U.N. debate. Haiti has been the beneficiary of massive
international aid, and the support of a U.N. peacekeeping mission,
since the explosion of political unrest in the country in 2004. And
President Preval told the General Assembly the outside assistance,
and the improved security provided by the U.N. mission, MINUSTAH, are
helping the country turn the corner toward political peace and
economic recovery.

Delivering his country's policy speech at the U.N. General Assembly,
Mr. Preval said Haiti has all too often been on the U.N.'s agenda
because of chronic problems. But, heard through an interpreter, he
said the unwelcome characterization of the country as a failed state
no longer applies: "Haiti is on the way to bidding farewell to that
state slowly, patiently, but with determination," said Rene Preval.
"Organized armed gangs who are responsible for violence directed
against innocent populations have been dismantled. And there is no
longer any no-go zone for peaceful citizens in any area of our
territory. The governance of our economy has greatly improved. The
money printer was put away, and this has reduced inflation below the
10 percent line, which had been rampant for a number of years, and
just a few months ago had reached the dizzying heights of 40
percent." Mr. Preval said that real growth has returned to the
Haitian economy after more than 10 years of decline in the gross
national product, and that his government has patiently worked to
restore a climate of peace in the country's turbulent political life.

He said Haitians consider foreign troops on their country's soil as a
wound to their national sovereignty. But he said, in practical terms,
the presence of MINUSTAH - as the country's new security forces take
shape - is the only realistic formula available enabling Haitians to
restore freedom and peace. The mandate of the Brazilian-led 7,100 -
member U.N. force is due to expire in mid-October, but U.N. officials
say another one-year extension by the Security Council appears
certain. Before his U.N. address, Mr. Preval attended a meeting of an
informal support group for Haiti that included diplomats from the
United States, the European Union, the Organization of American
States and the U.N. Appearing with the Haitian president after the
meeting, U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas
Burns said the Preval government is responsible for the strides of
recent months and deserves continued American and other international
support: "The point of this meeting, the third we have had in the
last three years, is to show support for President Preval, to show
support for the government of Haiti, to show support for
extraordinary progress that Haiti is making under his leadership in
terms of renewed stability," said Nicholas Burns. "And if you've been
to Cite Soleil and Port-au-Prince, you see that - the fight against
corruption, the fight against narcotics and the drug problem. And the
importance of MINUSTAH, the United Nations military force remaining
in Haiti for another year, the United States supports that for a one-
year renewal." Burns said the United States is providing Haiti with
more than $200 million in economic and security aid this year, on top
of the $600 million given since the 2004 upheaval that drove
controversial former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide from power.
(VOA, 9/26)

Prime Minister Alexis Says Haiti Creating Environment for Investors:
A primary goal of the Haitian Government is to create an environment
conducive for investors to come in and boost its struggling economy,
according to Haiti's Prime Minister Jacques Edouard Alexis.
Addressing the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce 17-member delegation at
his office in the capital on Monday, Alexis said that through revised
laws, Haiti is trying to create the right incentives to attract
investors. The Bahamas Chamber of Commerce is on a five-day mission
to examine ways to form trade ties with The Bahamas through the Haiti
Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Haiti is categorised as the poorest
nation in the Caribbean. With a population of about 8.5 million its
per capita income is stated at $400 or $5,300 per annum. "We need to
progress with the improvement of the living conditions of the vast
majority of the people," the prime minister said. "We need to put the
accent on the issue of investments." Elected to office last February,
prime minister Alexis spoke on how "stability" in Haiti has come
about. "This is the result of mobilisation by the Haitian people as a
whole, because at the February 2006 general elections, there was
absolutely no ambiguity about the vote, given though at some point
(they) tried to steal the results of it," the prime minister said.

He added that it was difficult in the first phase because the problem
Haiti had at the political level with peace, adding that it wasn't
only the question of a departure of its former President Aristide,
but also of the fact that the majority of Haitian people wanted to
see things changing in this country. Prime Minister Alexis said that
the first approach was to end the distrust through dialogue with
Haitians involved in violence and called on the national police to
restore order in the country. "This is how we could establish this
new situation of security," he said, adding that the situation is
still a fragile one because the core of the problem is the social and
economic instability. His Excellency Dr. Eugene Newry, the Bahamas
Ambassador to Haiti, said that there are two goals to the proposed
arrangement: Haitian products shipped directly to The Bahamas and
which projects Bahamian investors can realise in Haiti. The Bahamas
Chamber of Commerce said some members of the delegation, after having
met with business persons and toured establishments of interests,
still have doubts as to whether any sustained trade arrangement could
be derived at. Philip Simon, executive director of the Bahamas
Chamber of Commerce, pointed to the importance of factors such as
opportunities being identified, current investments coming in,
business facilitation measures being expedited and bureaucracies
being removed.

Chamber president, Dioni-sio D'Aguillar said based on what the group
has seen so far, and the stability of the Haitian Government, the
Bahamas Chamber of Commerce is ready to do business. "We have looked
to the north now we have to look to the south. We are excited by what
we see and it seems as if possibilities are endless," D'Aguillar said
Prime Minister Alexis said that his job is to create conditions for
men and women in Haiti to become interested in agriculture. In
comparison to other Caribbean countries, he noted that Haiti is still
a virgin country in terms of business development "With improvement
of the situation at the political level and with initiatives
undertaken by His Excellency Rene Preval in terms of building
solidarity in the state I think that the conditions are being created
to produce wealth and also to better distribute the fruits of this
wealth," the Prime Minister said. He acknowledged Bahamians' love for
mangoes and called on both countries to work together to remove the
restrictions to ensure that this produce is shipped directly to The
Bahamas. "In terms of food and agriculture production, there are a
lot of economic possibilities, Prime Minister Alexis said. "We can
even develop products aimed for The Bahamas; years ago we had a
pretty fruitful trade between the northwest of Haiti and The Bahamas.
There is the potential that exists." He regarded The Bahamas as
"champions" in the tourism industry and that Haiti needs to import
that service in addition to cultural and religious tourism,
construction, financial services and other areas.  (Freeport News, 9/27)

President Preval Supports Independent Committee Investigation for
Unsolved Journalist Murders:
Haitian President Reni Prival has pledged support for an independent
committee evaluating stalled investigations into a series of unsolved
journalist murders this decade and said that all political obstacles
to justice have now been removed. Meeting with a delegation from the
Committee to Protect Journalists on Wednesday, Prival expressed his
full support for the committee and said that the Haitian government
wants justice to prevail. Prival is in New York to participate in
the 62nd session of the United Nations General Assembly. We welcome
President Privals will and commitment in pursuing justice in crimes
against the press, said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon. Without
political impediments, the Haitian government must now push strongly
for exhaustive investigations in the cases of murdered journalists.
Haiti must break the cycle of impunity so that faith can be restored
to the countrys judicial system.

CPJ officials and Prival examined press freedom conditions in Haiti
during the meeting, and they talked about the future of the recently
created independent committee of journalists that is reviewing the
progress of official investigations into the unsolved murders of
journalists in Haiti from 2000 to 2007. Prival is in his second year
in office following the ouster of Jean-Bertrand Aristide and a
tumultuous interim administration. Haitian politicians and
investigators had not been interested in pursuing justice in cases of
murdered journalists because some of them were implicated in these
crimes, Prival told CPJ through an interpreter. But now the
situation has changed; there is political will and this will allow us
to make progress. The CPJ delegation included Simon, CPJ board
member Franz Allina, and CPJ Senior Americas Program Coordinator
Carlos Laurma.

Prival acknowledged that there will be difficulties in bringing
justice, especially in the oldest cases. But the president said that
the independent committee is a signal that will permit us to resolve
some crimes. Prival said that freedom of the press is essential for
the development of a democracy.
The Haitian president noted that the climate of violence that had
plagued Haiti since 2000 has eased. There is a different atmosphere
now, and the press can work in a relatively free environment, Prival
said. According to CPJ research, attacks on Haitis press dropped
significantly in the last two years. The CPJ delegation called on
Prival to support efforts to strengthen the work of the independent
committee, and it urged the government to provide police, judges, and
prosecutors with the resources to do their jobs. CPJ also requested
Prival renew the mandate of Judge Bernard Saint-Vil, who is
responsible for the investigation into the murder of Spanish
correspondent Ricardo Ortega, who was shot twice when gunmen opened
fire on demonstrators in Haitis capital, Port-au-Prince, in April 2004.

The independent committee was a joint initiative between Prival and
the local press freedom group S.O.S. Journalistes. The committee has
access to official police and court documents on the murders of at
least 10 journalists. It is studying the case files one by one in
order to determine where and why they have stalled. The committee is
led by journalist and free press activist Joseph Guyler Delva,
president of S.O.S. Journalistes. It includes reporters Euvrard Saint-
Armand from Radio Caraobes; Anne Marguerite Auguste from Radio
Solidariti; Dieudonne Saincy from Radio Mitropole; Jean Wilmer Morin
from local radio station Tropic FM and the television station
Tilimac; Louis Gary Cyprien from the daily Le Nouvelliste; Marie Nick
Marcelin from Radio Ibo; and Idson Saint-Fleur from radio station
Signal FM.

Progress has already been made, Prival said. The president cited
recent convictions in the case of Jacques Roche, cultural editor with
the Port-au-Prince-based daily Le Matin, who was killed in Haitis
capital in July 2005. On August 30, a judge in Port-au-Prince
sentenced Alby Joseph and Chiry Beaubrun, members of the local Solino
gang, to life in prison for the kidnapping and murder of Roche. This
is a step forward, noted the president. The committee has sought to
identify concrete problems in the investigations and expedite
solutions. In one case, for example, the committee discovered a vital
missing courthouse file in the 2001 slaying of Brignol Lindor and
forwarded it to the investigators actually handling the case. Delva
said the committee will next examine the case of Haitian journalist
Jean-Liopold Dominique, owner and director of Radio Haoti-Inter and
one of the countrys most renowned journalists. Dominique was gunned
down on April 3, 2000, outside the entrance to his Port-au-Prince
station. A long-stalled case that has been characterized by
incompetence and a lack of political will, Dominiques slaying
remains unpunished, CPJ research shows. Three journalists have been
murdered in direct reprisal for their work in Haiti since 2000, CPJ
research shows. CPJ is investigating the circumstances surrounding
the slayings of the other journalists. (Committee to Protect
Journalists, 9/27)

Brazil's Top Diplomat Says Haiti's Security Climate Requires
Development:
Haiti's improved security climate will not last unless wealthier
countries ramp up efforts to bring development to the deeply
impoverished country, Brazil's top diplomat said Friday. During a one-
day visit to the country, Foreign Minister Celso Amorim said the
8,800-strong U.N. peacekeeping force led by Brazil has made major
strides in restoring calm and reducing gang violence that had plagued
the country since a 2004 revolt toppled former President Jean-
Bertrand Aristide. "But of course it's not perfect, far from it.
That's why we need the continued commitment of the international
community," Amorim told The Associated Press as he toured Port-au-
Prince's seaside Cite Soleil slum under guard from heavily armed
Brazilian soldiers and bodyguards. Amorim noted that on past trips to
Haiti it had been too dangerous for him to visit the teeming, fetid
slum, which only a year ago was awash in violence from daily
gunbattles between armed gangs and blue-helmeted peacekeepers.

A U.N. crackdown on gangs launched late last year has led to a sharp
reduction in shootings, bringing Cite Soleil's most peaceful period
in years. Still, many slum dwellers live in squalor and are in
desperate need of jobs, hospitals and schools, a point Amorim said he
would urge the U.N. Security Council to consider when the vote to
extend the peacekeeping mandate next month. "The security situation
will only be assured once Haiti goes into a path of development," he
said. Amorim would not say when Brazil would begin to withdraw its
peacekeepers, although U.N. officials have said troops will likely be
needed at least until President Rene Preval finishes his term in
2011. "It's very difficult to make a forecast ... but we will be here
for the next year," Amorim said. He added that President Luiz Inacio
Lula da Silva was considering a visit to Haiti later this year, and
that the Brazilian leader may discuss Haiti during a planned meeting
with U.S. President George W. Bush during next week's gathering of
the U.N. General Assembly. (AP, 9/21)

Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier Issues Apology; Preval Says Court
will Try to Recover Stolen Millions:
Exiled dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier apologized for
"wrongs" committed under his rule and urged supporters to rally
around his fringe political party during a rare address delivered on
Haitian radio over the weekend. The comments marked Duvalier's first
public address in years and come amid a quiet campaign by his
supporters to see their leader returned from exile in France. In a
speech recorded from Paris, Duvalier said history will be the judge
of his 15-year dictatorship, which is widely blamed for killing and
torturing opponents and pilfering the national treasury. "If, during
my presidential mandate, the government caused any physical, moral,
or economic wrongs to others, I solemnly take the historical
responsibility ... to request forgiveness from the people and ask for
the impartial judgment of history," Duvalier said. Duvalier's regime
came to an abrupt end on Feb. 7, 1986 when he fled the country during
a popular uprising, and he's been notably quiet during his years in
exile.

Bobby Duval, a former soccer star who was starved and tortured while
locked up for 17 months under the Duvalier regime for speaking out
against human rights abuses, said it was the first time he could
recall the former dictator apologizing for his regime's atrocities --
but said it did not go far enough. "He killed thousands of people,
stole money and destroyed the psyche and heart of a people. This guy
should be in jail and I'm just waiting for him to come back so that
can happen," said Duval, who now runs a sports outreach program. "I
don't accept his apology."  In the radio address, broadcast across
the country on Saturday and Sunday, Duvalier described himself as
"broken by 20 years of exile" but "reinvigorated" by what he claimed
was growing support among younger Haitians for his small National
Unity Party. "The watchword is already launched, the instruction is
given. Militants
and militant sympathizers of the National Unity Party be ready. We
live ... in waiting of the revival," Duvalier said. He did not say if
he if would seek to return to his homeland. In recent months, a
handful of loyalists have been campaigning to bring Duvalier home
from exile, launching a foundation to improve the dictatorship's
image and reviving his political party in the hope that he could one
day return to power democratically.  Duvalier's party has no seats in
parliament, and political observers say it has little chance of
becoming a force in Haiti.  (AP, 9/24)

Haitian President Rene Preval on Tuesday rejected an apology from
former dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier and said the
government would ask a court to recover millions in state funds
allegedly stolen during the 15-year regime. Preval, speaking before
leaving for the U.N. General Assembly in New York, said Duvalier's
surprise apology for past abuses was welcome but inadequate. "An
apology is one thing, justice is another thing," Preval, a former
anti-Duvalier activist who was elected president last year, told
reporters. "It will be up for the Haitian people to decide if there
will be
forgiveness." Preval said his government had asked Swiss authorities
to freeze Duvalier-linked bank accounts containing 7.6 million Swiss
francs ($6.3 million) -- money many Haitians believe was stolen from
public funds. Duvalier has denied illegally taking money and the
Swiss government has said the funds would remain frozen for at least
another year. The president said his administration is preparing a
case to "recuperate the funds," without providing details. (AP, 9/25)

Several politicians and human rights activists said Duvalier should
be tried for atrocities. "It is unacceptable that Duvalier is trying
to make a comeback as if the population had to forget the awful
crimes he had committed in this country," said human rights activist
Jean-Claude Bajeux. "The Haitian people won't buy that." The leader
of the Fusion party, Victor Benoit, said Duvalier has a right to
return if he agrees to face justice. "Jean-Claude Duvalier is talking
about national reconciliation, but that is exactly what his father
was saying while preparing to massacre scores of innocent citizens,"
Benoit said. "And the same atrocities continued under his son, who is
presenting himself as the country's next savior." But others said
Haiti was more secure during the Duvaliers' reign. "Under the
Duvaliers, you could sleep in the streets or on the gallery of your
house if you were not fighting the government," said Joanel Jean-
Jacques, a 64-year-old man sitting outside his home in the Delmas
district. "My family and I felt secure and we were working and
peacefully
earning our life," he said. "Now the majority of the population can't
even eat once a day." (Reuters, 9/25)

US Embassy Bars Personnel from Flying Caribintair, a Domestic Airline
Grounded in Haiti:
The U.S. Embassy has barred its personnel from flying Haiti's largest
domestic airline and urged Americans to avoid the carrier pending an
investigation into two emergency landings two weeks apart, a
spokeswoman said Tuesday. Haiti's civil aviation agency grounded all
Caribintair fights earlier this month after two of its single-engine
Cessna Caravan planes were forced to make hard landings minutes after
taking off from Port-au-Prince on Aug. 31 and Sept. 11. Five people
were injured in the second incident. The agency said last week that
Caribintair was not at fault in either case, but no official cause
for the emergency landings has been given and the airline is still
waiting for approval to resume flying. All U.S. Embassy staff will be
prohibited from using the carrier pending the investigation, said
embassy spokeswoman Shaila B. Manyam.  "Because of that decision, we
are legally obligated to inform the American public (about using the
airline) via an advisory," Manyam said. A Caribintair spokesman
declined to comment. Previously, the company has said its planes are
properly maintained. Caribintair operates more than 30 flights daily
to seven destinations in Haiti and the neighboring Dominican
Republic. (AP, 9/25)

Dominican Republic Deploys New Force to Protect Border:
The Dominican Republic has deployed a new 500-member force on its
porous border with Haiti in an effort to stop the illegal trafficking
of people and drugs, military officials said. Plans were announced in
2005 for the special force to patrol the countries' 225-mile border
on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, but delays in training and
finding qualified personnel held up its deployment. Officials hope to
add an additional 1,500 military, customs,
intelligence and anti-drug agents to the Specialized Border Security
Corps, or Cesfront, Armed Forces Secretary Gen. Ramon Aquino Garcia
said Tuesday in a statement. Previously, border patrol duties fell to
the army. The U.S. military contributed training and some $350,000
worth of scanning equipment to Cesfront under an agreement signed
earlier this year. (AP, 9/25)

Former Prime Minister Latortue Speaks Out on Behalf of Dominican
Republic:
Haiti's former Prime Minister Gerard Latortue has spoken out against
what he called an international campaign to discredit the DR, which
includes false claims about Haitian immigrants supposedly living in
conditions of slavery in the DR, as reported in El Nacional. "We will
not allow people with bad intentions to attempt to sabotage the
excellent relations between our two countries," said Latortue, who
was taking part in a conference organized by the University of
Miami's Center for Hemispheric Policy, also attended by President
Leonel Fernandez on Monday as part of his US tour. "These people have
not caught on that times have changed and you can't talk about a
future for Haiti but rather of a future for both countries. I know
President Fernandez and know he loves Haiti and wants to see its
problems resolved," he added. Latortue, who served as prime minister
from 12 March 2004 to 9 June 2006, explained that, "decisive
international cooperation is needed to create more jobs in Haiti and
so keep Haitians in their own country. When that happens, Haitian
tourists will visit the DR, not immigrants looking for work." During
the same conference, a journalist asked President Leonel Fernandez to
comment on Haitian migration to the DR. He turned the question over
to Latortue who responded that could be expected when on the same
island you had a growth rate of 6-8% and another of 0%.

Latortue expressed confidence in the good relationship between
President Fernandez and President Rene Preval, saying that this would
be decisive in pushing ahead agreements to secure international
cooperation for the development of the island. Since the start of the
year, films highlighting supposed slavery-like conditions experienced
by Haitian workers in the DR have been shown in major cities abroad.
The DR government has denied that Haitian workers are smuggled into
the country to work in the cane fields, and says that of the
estimated one million Haitian migrants in the DR, less than 1% works
in the sugar industry. According to a World Bank funded study carried
out by Inter-American Dialogue and released yesterday, Haiti's
economy depends on remittances, and US$200-US$300 million come from
the DR each year. The study shows that 76% of the Haitians who live
in the DR visit Haiti at least once a year, staying for a week to two
months. (DRNews, 9/19)

Corruption Investigation Leads to Mixed Reactions:
On July 31, deputies meeting in an extraordinary session of the Lower
House voted to censure Haiti's Minister of Culture and Communications
Daniel Elie. Sixty-seven deputies voted for his dismissal, five voted
against, and 14 others abstained. The minister was accused of all
kinds of wrong-doing, including the unauthorized spending of 30
million gourdes ($841,500 US) from his ministry's budget, set by the
Parliament, for Flag Day celebrations and bad management of some 80
million gourdes ($2,243,900 US) which were allocated to him to
organize the 2007 carnival. (Elie also had in his cabinet Magalie
Comeau, the ex-minister of the Culture and Communications of the de
facto government of Prime Minister Gerard Latortue.) Elie vehemently
denied the accusations made against him during the heated session.
Although censured, before his Aug. 9 resignation Elie requested in
letters to Prime Minister Jacques Edouard Alexis and President Rene
Preval Aug. 3 an official investigation into the charges made against
him. Preval and Alexis responded to the request favorably and
quickly. In a state administration where inquiries can take years,
this investigation was undertaken almost immediately. The High Court
of Accounts of Administrative Disputes (CSCCA) and the Unit to Fight
against Corruption (ULCC) headed by Amos Durosier (see Haiti Liberte,
Vol. 1, No. 5, 8/22/07) were both quickly mobilized, and, to surprise
of many, both issued their findings this past week.

According to CSCCA, "the verification did not reveal any major
irregularity which could be described as embezzlement, diversion or
theft which could be blamed on the director." Meanwhile, the ULCC
concluded that "within the framework of this investigation, in the
light of the provisions of Articles 137 and following of the Haitian
Penal Code suppressing corruption, and of Articles 6 and 9 of Inter-
American Convention against Corruption, the facts reported by the
people met within the framework of the investigation do not amount to
corruption on the part of Mr. Daniel Elie." In addition, the ULCC
found that "as for other expenditures, the verification of supporting
documents and of documentation available to the Ministry did not
allow us to detect any acceptance of offers or promises, nor receipt
of gifts or presents, by the Minister or by any member of his
administration to do something beyond their job description." Pleased
at the speed with which these two fiscal entities carried out their
investigations, the president immediately wrote a letter to the
president of the Chamber of Deputies, Pierre Eric Jean Jacques,
reproaching him for allowing his parliamentary colleagues to carry
out intrigues which do not help in running the country, because their
baseless accusations can be fatal and result in "honest, qualified
and serious citizens refusing to give service to their country,
having been convinced that the State is run by ill-willed and
mediocre people." Preval wrote that "politics is an art of great
nobility. We must in practice act as nobly. The struggle I have led,
in my role as President of the Republic, is to fight to restore
respect and dignity to the civil servant from our fellow citizens
first and then from the world." Preval continued: "That requires that
each civil servant be extremely demanding of himself, because the law
will not be lenient on him... That also requires that the rights of
those who go into public service be respected and that the State
itself ensures each of its servants has good protection when
unwarranted and absurd actions or attacks go after the person or
integrity of this servant."

The president also sent a letter to Elie saying that "you can now
leave light-hearted, with the satisfaction of having carried out the
functions of your Ministry with dedication, competence and integrity.
For my part, I reiterate my thanks to you for having agreed to be
part of the Cabinet and for proving yourself to be up to the trust
that the Prime Minister and I had placed in you." These two letters
of the president outraged certain parliamentarians. Jean Salibar
(Fusion of the social democrats),"President Rene Preval did not read
the report, or at the very least he has been led into error," said
deputy Poly Faustin of the Lavalas Family party. According to deputy
Laurore Edouard of the Union party, "the letter of the Head of State
is in contradiction with the report of the ULCC." Meanwhile, Cite
Soleil's deputy Jean Salibar of the social-democratic Fusion party
asked: "How can one ask a minister whose management is filled with
irregularities to leave light hearted? " He then added that "the Head
of State's position will undermine his fight against corruption."

Who is right and who is wrong in this case? The Parliament or the
Executive? There are indeed troubling revelations in the ULCC report
which seem to contradict the report's conclusion. For example, "a
good number of expenditures carried out via Memoranda are not
supported by justifying documents which should be in that file, that
is 6 out of a total of 36 pieces." Of these expenditures, one finds
two cheques respectively for 784,000 and for 1,960,000 gourdes
($22,000 US and $55,000 US) made to the order of singer James
Germain, where the kind of service provided is vague. The ULCC also
notes certain other supporting documents do not conform. Two cheques
for 5,276,736 and 5,496,600 gourdes ($148,000 US and $154,200 US)
were issued to a certain Jean Claude Verdier without specifying the
kind of service he provided. The report also mentions expenditures
for which "not only was there no bidding, but the Ministry of Culture
and Communications requested estimates from two suppliers who gave
different quotes for a requested service. After receiving the bids,
the Ministry gave the contract to the more expensive supplier, paying
their asking price." This situation risks making people lose any
confidence they have in State institutions. This new confrontation
between the Parliament and the executive has transformed the nation's
institutions into a kind of "house of glass" in every respect. (Haiti
Libete, 9/26 - 10/2)
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