Interview of Georges Venel Remarais, Agence Haitienne de Presse, December 6, 2002, by James R. Morrell:
We quoted Ambassador Einaudi accurately. We have the cassette of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation broadcast.
The Haiti Democracy Project appends its translation of the AHP story of December 4, 2002:
Montreal, December 4, 2002 – (AHP) – Luigi Einaudi, Deputy Secretary-General of the Organization of American States (OAS), spoke against the anti-government groups, saying that they are doing everything they can to keep an unstable situation in Haiti.
In an interview with Radio Canada on Monday, Mr. Einaudi declared that those groups are against any political stability in Haiti, fearing free and fair elections in the country.
“These groups are afraid of elections, because if free and fair elections took place in the country, it is certain that the party in power would win,” said Einaudi.
Luigi Einaudi added that anti-Aristide forces created trouble every time an accord was about to be reached to solve the post-electoral crisis.
He emphasized that “the only reason why the OAS decided to vote resolution 822 was the impossibility for the two parties to reach an accord.”
Speaking about the events of the last three weeks in Haiti, Luigi Einaudi said that the Aristide government provided protection to the opposition demonstrators on November 16 and 17 in Cap-Haitien, and that his adversaries took advantage of that to say that the population no longer wanted Aristide in power.
Luigi Einaudi estimated that the dream of the opposition leaders was impossible, since they want help from the Bush administration to overthrow a constitutional president, as the Clinton administration did against a putschist military regime in 1994.
In addition, the Deputy Secretary-General deplored the fact that the international sponsors were so slow to release the funds earmarked for Haiti, after the passing of resolution 822.
“With that resolution, it was clearly indicated to the IADB and the Word Bank that they could release the funds earmarked for Haiti,” said Luigi Einaudi, deploring that those sponsors were taking a long time, due to alleged technical difficulties.
According to Einaudi, when funds earmarked for a country such as Haiti, facing all those problems, that makes the situation even more complicated.
He added that he understands why the Haitian government cannot satisfy the needs of the population, because of the economic sanctions.
In Port-au-Prince, David Lee, Special Representative of the OAS, called on all the sectors in the country to avoid provocation and violence so that all can enjoy the freedom they need to express their ideas.
He said that was necessary, in order for Haitians to be able vote peacefully in 2003.
David Lee announced that all the political groups who met with representatives of friendly countries had expressed their attachment to resolution 822, calling for early legislative elections in mid 2003.
AHP, December 4, 2002, 4:45 PM