Government Has Done Nothing to Carry Out June 15 Pledges

 Port-au-Prince, Haiti

 Tel.: 245-4534

 Announcement

NEGATIVE RESULTS ON THE ACTIONS TAKEN BY THE LAVALAS REGIME IN RESPONSE TO REQUESTS PRESENTED BY THE CONVERGENCE TO RESUME NEGOTIATIONS

The Democratic Convergence notes that, to this date, no action has been taken on the requests that it presented to the de facto Lavalas regime during a face-to-face meeting at the Papal Nuncio’s residence on June 15, 2002. The Democratic Convergence had submitted to Lavalas the points described in the attached document, to be implemented prior to starting any negotiation with the de facto regime.

The Convergence took that position on the basis of the January 15, 2002 OAS Resolution 806, paragraph 4, ?calling on the Haitian Government to act diligently in order to establish a safe climate guaranteeing the necessary conditions for the resumption of OAS supervised negotiations, including:

 a. a thorough and independent investigation into the events of December 17, 2002 and the following days;

 b. the prosecution and dismissal, as appropriate, of any individual found guilty of conspiracy in the acts of violence of December 17, 2001 and the following days;

 c. a thorough investigation about all politically motivated crimes;

 d. compensation for organizations and individuals who suffered damage resulting directly from the acts of violence of December 17, 2001.”

The Democratic Convergence notes that Lavalas has no political will to implement OAS Resolution 806 and act upon the requests submitted by the Democratic Convergence, in spite of the suffering and poverty of the Haitian people who hope for a solution to the current crisis, which has caused all financial aid to Haiti to be frozen.

 Port-au-Prince, June 27, 2002

 Gérard PIERRE-CHARLES                                            Victor BENOIT

OPL                                                                                 Espace de Concertation

 Hubert de Ronceray                                                        Luc MESADIEU    

MPSN                                                                              MOCRHENA

ACTION AGENDA FOR RESUMPTION OF NEGOTIATIONS, SUBMITTED BY THE DEMOCRATIC CONVERGENCE TO THE LAVALAS REGIME

 1.- BRING TO JUSTICE THE INDIVIDUALS IDENTIFIED AS PARTICIPATING IN VIOLENCE ON DECEMBER 17, 2001

Requested by the Democratic Convergence :

The victims have filed lawsuits, and articles 30, 31, et al. of our Criminal Code require the immediate arrest of the bandits caught in the act and identified by public clamor.

The prosecutor can easily identify those responsible for the crimes. His duty is to issue the warrants required by law, so that they can be presented to an Investigating Magistrate, charged, and subsequently tried according to the law, as described in chapters IV, V, and VI of the Criminal Code.

 Implemented by the Lavalas regime:  NOTHING

2.- INVESTIGATE THE ASSASSINATIONS OF JEAN DOMINIQUE, CLAUDE LOUISSAINT, BRIGNOL LINDOR, RAMY DARANT (GONAIVES),  AND MARC ANDRE DUROGENE

 Requested by the Democratic Convergence:

The Ministry of Justice, responsible for the administration of justice, must take the appropriate administrative measures to assure that within ninety days, as required by the judiciary act and the act of July 29, 1979, the investigating magistrate and the government attorney submit the final decision of the investigating magistrate on these important cases. The government bears the responsibility for any delay when no disciplinary measure is taken, and its responsibility (both for civil and criminal) is constitutionally confirmed for the facts described above.

Implemented by the Lavalas regime: NOTHING

Referring to the case of Mr. Ramy DARANG, bodyguard of Dr. Luc MESADIEU, president of MOCHRENA, this bodyguard was assassinated in Gonaives on December 17, 2001 by Messrs. Amiot METAYER, alias “Cuban”; William JOSEPH; Beauvoir ULYSSE; and Frantz Delano JOSEPH. They were caught in the act and identified by public outcry but, to this day, they have gone free. Those individuals against whom lawsuits have been filed, or who have been identified by public outcry particularly in Port-au-Prince, Gonaives, Petit-Goave, Cap-Haitien, Cayes, Jeremie, Thiotte, etc. must be brought to justice.

 Implemented by the Lavalas regime: NOTHING

Those individuals must be prosecuted according to the law, and they must be arrested for their crimes of assassination, destruction of property, looting, and conspiracy, and tried and convicted in an open trial.

Implemented by the Lavalas regime: NOTHING

  3.- REOPEN THE INVESTIGATIONS INTO THE ASSASSINATION OF MIREILLE DUROCHER BERTIN, REVEREND ANTOINE LEROY, JACQUES FLORIVAL, REPRESENTATIVE JEAN-HUBERT FEUILLE, YVON TOUSSAINT, FATHER JEAN PIERRE-LOUIS, COLONEL JEAN LAMY, GENERAL MAX MAYARD.

 Requested by the Democratic Convergence:

 The Democratic Convergence would welcome the sending by the government attorney?s pffice of a rogatory letter about each of these cases to an investigating magistrate in order to reopen the investigations, while the judge responsible for the case would receive, within ninety days from the sending of that letter, the reports of any investigation commission (national and/or international) about those politically motivated crimes. 

In concrete terms, the Ministry of Justice must mandate an investigation to avoid the expiration of the statute of limitations, whch expiration would allow those responsible for perpetrating serious crimes in the country to remain unpunished.

Implemented by the Lavalas regime: NOTHING

 4.- ABOUT DISARMAMENT

 Requested by the Democratic Convergence :

 A four-party commission will be appointed to monitor the disarmament process, and include: 

 – one Government representative

 – one representative of the International Community

 – one representative of the Democratic Convergence

 – one representative of the Civil Society and of the Christian Churches.

Implemented by the Lavalas regime: NOTHING

Our June 12, 2002 proposal on the disarmament process states the following: ?Obtain the monitored surrender, to the proper authorities, of the military weapons retained by the bodyguards of some officials, members of territorial communities, as well as known thugs (chimères).? »

Implemented by the Lavalas regime: NOTHING

 5.- COMPENSATION FOR THE VICTIMS OF DECEMBER 17, 2001

 Requested by the Democratic Convergence:

 Based on the OAS provisions and reports of the Advisory Council for Compensation, and after visiting the victims, the affected parties shall receive compensation or be paid for damage directly.