HEADLINE: REMARKS BY OTTO REICH, ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WESTERN HEMISPHERE AFFAIRS AT THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION
October 31, 2002 Thursday
Haiti is another example of where an election does not alone make a democracy. In Haiti, the Aristide government faces the prospect of forfeiting its credibility and legitimacy. The government must comply with OAS resolutions and its commitments to its own people.
On virtually all fronts, from the timely accounting of its actions taken with respect to the political violence of last December, to ending impunity, to disarmament, to reparations, to counternarcotics, to election security, the government has simply not moved with enough purpose or effectiveness.
We are concerned about the well-being of the Haitian people. We’re concerned about the strength and legitimacy of institutions that bear the stigma of the flawed elections of the year 2000. The primary responsibility for addressing Haiti’s political and economic problems rests with the government of Haiti. It is time for that government to live up to its commitments to the Haitian people, who have as much claim to democracy and economic opportunity as any in the Americas.
