The president has called on Democratic Convergence to sign the initial agreement elaborated by OAS Assistant Secretary-General Luigi Einaudi. The plan foresees the recognition of the presidential elections of 26 November and the holding of new legislative and local elections. The head of President Aristide’s office thinks that this plan is the best way to resolve the crisis. Jean-Claude Desgranges says:
We believe that power is here to bring political stability, because, without political stability, it will be very difficult for us to move on. We took all the necessary steps to make it exist and we believe that it exists, for the most part. For instance, concerning the negotiations, the Lavalas Family made all the concessions possible in order to solve the problem of the negotiations. The current leader has already signed the initial agreement and has sent it back to the OAS. Meetings are taking place at the OAS on the initial agreement in order that there may be some results on the Haiti issue.
I believe that we are heading in the right direction and that we shall have a solution to that question very soon. There is no doubt that we shall need to find this solution along with everybody else, with all sectors. I take this opportunity to issue a call to Convergence to ask them to cooperate, because the real struggle is not a struggle where we have to fight each other. The real struggle is to fight illiteracy, poverty and corruption, and it is a fight to reinforce our democratic institutions.
It is within the framework of the reinforcement of democratic institutions that we are inviting Convergence to sign the initial agreement, just as we have done, just as we have accepted it, so we can hold elections within a few months.
Our deputies and senators have made sacrifices and shortened their mandate of two years. Elections are the right way. We have to respect the rules of the game. If the rules of the democratic game are respected then we shall not have any problem. I think it is important for me to say this: We must go beyond this atmosphere of fighting and enter an atmosphere of debate. It is because of dialogue that I am here today. It is through dialogue that we can reach a valuable solution.