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OEA/Ser.G
CP/RES. 806 (1303/02) corr. 1
16 January 2002
Original: English |
CP/RES. 806 (1303/02)
THE SITUATION IN HAITI
THE PERMANENT COUNCIL OF THE ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES,
DEEPLY CONCERNED by the violence that occurred in Haiti, in particular the
events of July 28 and December 17, 2001, and the worsening political, economic
and social situation in that country;
CONCERNED by the current impasse in negotiations to resolve the continuing
political crisis;
HAVING SEEN the Fifth Report of the Mission of the Organization of American
States: "Progress Toward An Initial Accord" (CP/doc. 3541/02);
RECALLING that the General Assembly, in resolution AG/RES.1831 (XXXI-O/01),
reiterated its deep concern at the continuing political crisis in Haiti,
arising from irregularities in the elections of May 21, 2000, and instructed
the Secretary General to increase his efforts to help find a solution to the
political crisis, to further the social and economic development of Haiti, to
strengthen democracy, and to promote respect for human rights in that country;
RECALLING ALSO that the Permanent Council, in resolution CP/RES. 772 (1247/00)
of August 4, 2000, at the request of the Government of Haiti, authorized the
Secretary General to lead a Mission to Haiti to "identify, together with
the Government of Haiti and other sectors of the political community and civil
society, options and recommendations for resolving, as expeditiously as
possible, difficulties such as those that have arisen from differing
interpretations of the Electoral Law, and for further strengthening democracy
in that country", and that there have been numerous missions since that
time for that purpose;
BEARING IN MIND:
That the OAS Charter establishes that representative democracy is an
indispensable condition for the stability, peace, and development of the region
and that one of the essential purposes of the Organization is to promote and
consolidate representative democracy, with due respect for the principle of
nonintervention;
That the Inter-American Democratic Charter, adopted by the Special Session of
the General Assembly in Lima, Peru on September 11, 2001, states that the
peoples of the Americas have a right to democracy and that their governments
have an obligation to promote and defend it; and that "essential elements
of representative democracy include, inter alia, respect for human rights and
fundamental freedoms, access to and the exercise of power in accordance with
the rule of law, the holding of periodic, free, and fair elections based on
secret balloting and universal suffrage as an expression of the sovereignty of
the people, the pluralistic system of political parties and organizations, and
the separation of powers and independence of the branches of government";
TAKING NOTE of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide's condemnation of violence from
any source, the statements issued by the Secretary General regarding the events
of December 17, 2001 and the subsequent violence and the communiqués of the
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on attacks and threats against
journalists;
TAKING NOTE also that the Government of Haiti has initiated an inquiry into the
December 17, 2001 events which included an attack against the presidential
palace and violence against the headquarters of political parties and the
residences of private individuals;
CONVINCED that the worsening political situation in Haiti, which has most
recently led to the violent events of December 17, 2001, demonstrates that
there is an urgent need to strengthen institutions of representative democracy
in that country;
ENCOURAGED by the interest and willingness expressed by the Government of Haiti
to collaborate, with the international community in efforts at resolving the
ongoing political crisis in Haiti; and,
TAKING NOTE of the decision of CARICOM to urgently dispatch to Haiti a special
high-level mission to evaluate the situation in that country,
RESOLVES:
1. To condemn the loss of life and the destruction of
property resulting from the events of December 17, 2001.
2. To urge the Government of Haiti, all political
parties, civil society, and other relevant institutions of Haitian society to
condemn and work towards ending all forms of political violence.
3. To accompany the Government of Haiti's interest and
willingness to work jointly with the international community to find a solution
to the current political crisis by establishing an OAS Mission, in accordance
with AG/RES. 1831 (XXXI-O/01) of the General Assembly of the OAS, to work in
the spirit of the OAS Charter and the Inter-American Democratic Charter.
4. To call upon the Government of Haiti to pursue
diligently all efforts to restore a climate of security that is a necessary
condition for resuming OAS-sponsored negotiations, including:
a. the completion of a thorough, independent inquiry
into the events related to December 17, 2001;
b. the prosecution of any person, and dismissal, when appropriate, of any
person found to be complicit in the violence of December 17, 2001 and
subsequent days;
c. the completion of a thorough inquiry into all politically-motivated
crimes;
d. reparations for organizations and individuals who suffered damages as
a direct result of violence of December 17, 2001;
e. an invitation to the OAS to send representatives to Haiti to
investigate and assess the situation and to assist the Government and people of
Haiti in strengthening their democratic system and institutions, and
f. an invitation to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to
conduct an onsite visit to Haiti.
5. To commend the Secretary General for his constructive
efforts as detailed in the Fifth Report of the Mission of the Organization of
American States: "Progress Toward An Initial Accord" (CP/doc.
3541/02);
6. To call upon the international community to provide
effective and concrete support to the Government of Haiti, Haitian civil
society, and democratic political parties that operate within the Haitian
constitution and the rule of law, in an effort to strengthen the Haitian
democratic institutions.
7. To call upon the Government of Haiti and all
political parties, with the support of civil society and other relevant
institutions in Haiti, to resume OAS-sponsored negotiations as a matter of
urgency, as soon as conditions are conducive to discussions, with a view to
reaching an agreement to resolve the political crisis in Haiti.
8. To reaffirm the mandate of the Secretary General in
accordance with AG/RES. 1831 (XXXI-O/01) and, to instruct him, in consultation
with CARICOM and the Group of Friends of Haiti, to continue his efforts, to
contribute further to the resolution of the current political crisis in Haiti
by:
a. monitoring events in Haiti, including respect for the essential elements of
representative democracy, and compliance with any accords that may result from
OAS-sponsored negotiations, and
b. helping the Government of Haiti in the strengthening of its democratic
processes and institutions.
9. To instruct the Secretary General to assign technical
experts to the OAS Mission to Haiti, to help the Government in the development
and strengthening of its democratic political process and institutions.
10. To instruct the Secretary General, as progress is
achieved in reaching a sustainable solution to the crisis arising from the May
21, 2000 elections, to continue to work jointly with member states toward
normalizing relations between Haiti and the international community, especially
the international financial institutions, and to report on his progress.
11. To ask the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
within its area of competence to undertake an on site visit to Haiti to consult
with civil society, political parties, and the Government of Haiti in order to
analyze and report on current conditions, and the events related to December
17, 2001.
12. To call upon the Government of Haiti to guarantee to
the said OAS Mission under reference at paragraph 3 above and to the
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, as well as those international NGOs
with a recognized presence in Haiti, free and safe access to all elements of
Haitian civil society, including the press and opposition parties.
13. To call upon the Group of Friends of Haiti,
established in accordance with the privisions of AG/RES. 1831 (XXXI-O/01) and
made up of interested OAS member states and permanent observers, to remain
engaged in assisting the Secretary General in these efforts.
14. To instruct the Secretary General to provide an
interim report to the Permanent Council as soon as possible but not later than
March 31st 2002, and a full report to the 32nd regular session of the General
Assembly on the implementation of this resolution.
15. To request the Secretary General to transmit this
resolution to the Secretary General of the United Nations.
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