AG/RES. 1373 (XXVI-O/96)

INTERNATIONAL PRESENCE IN HAITI

(Resolution adopted at the seventh plenary session, held on June 6, 1996)

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,

RECALLING that, in the exercise of the powers conferred on it by resolution AG/RES. 1080 (XXI-O/91), the Permanent Council convened an Ad Hoc Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs on September 30, 1991, the very day on which the coup d'état had taken place in Haiti, to assess the seriousness of the events that had occurred and had caused the sudden and violent interruption of the democratic process in that country;

BEARING IN MIND resolutions MRE/RES. 1/91, MRE/RES. 2/91, MRE/RES. 3/92 corr. 1, MRE/RES. 4/92, MRE/RES. 5/93 corr. 1, MRE/RES. 6/94, and MRE/RES. 7/95, adopted by the ministers of foreign affairs of the member states with respect to the restoration of democracy in Haiti; resolutions CP/RES. 567 (870/91), CP/RES. 575 (885/92), CP/RES. 594 (923/92), CP/RES. 610 (968/93), CP/RES. 630 (987/94), and CP/RES. 633 (995/94); as well as declarations CP/DEC. 2 (896/92), CP/DEC. 8 (927/93), CP/DEC. 9 (931/93), CP/DEC. 10 (934/93), CP/DEC. 14 (960/93), CP/DEC. 15 (967/93), CP/DEC. 18 (986/94), and CP/DEC. 21 (1006/94), adopted by the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States;

TAKING NOTE of the resolutions adopted by the United Nations, in particular Security Council resolutions 841 (1993), 861 (1993), 862 (1993), 867 (1993), 873 (1993), 875 (1993), 905 (1994), 917 (1994), 933 (1994), 940 (1994), 944 (1994), 948 (1994), 964 (1994), 975 (1995), 1007 (1995), and 1048 (1996), and General Assembly resolutions 46/7 (1991), 46/138 (1991), 47/20A (1992), 47/20B (1993), 48/27A (1993), 48/27B (1994), 49/27 (1994), and 49/201 (1995), concerning the crisis in Haiti;

REAFFIRMING that one of the essential purposes of the Organization of American States is to promote and consolidate representative democracy, with due respect for the principle of nonintervention;

CONSIDERING:

That the international community, particularly through the Organization of American States and the United Nations, responded to the appeal of the Haitian Government by taking the necessary steps to reinstate the constitutional government of Haiti, in accordance with the sovereign will of the Haitian people, as expressed overwhelmingly in the December 16, 1990, elections; and

That the rule of law was restored in that country with the return to constitutional order on October 15, 1994, the reinstatement of the officials legitimately elected by the Haitian people in December 1990, and the successful holding of free and democratic local, parliamentary, and presidential elections in 1995, leading to a peaceful and democratic transfer of power;

TAKING INTO ACCOUNT that the efforts of President René Préval and the Government and people of Haiti to consolidate democracy and ensure strict observance of human rights and the socioeconomic development of Haiti should be firmly supported by the international community and, in particular, by the member states of the Organization of American States; and

OBSERVING that the Government of Haiti, with the support of the Organization of American States and the United Nations, has launched programs aimed at consolidating democratic institutions in Haiti,

RESOLVES:

1. To express its deepest satisfaction with the consolidation of the rule of law in Haiti, thanks to the establishment of a stable government that respects democratic principles.

2. To congratulate the people and Government of Haiti on their efforts to bring about national reconciliation and embark on a process of strict observance of human rights.

3. To reaffirm the member states' staunch resolve to continue their active cooperation in strengthening the rule of law and the democratic system in Haiti, promoting sustainable development, and ensuring strict observance of human rights in that country.

4. To recommend that the OAS/UN International Civilian Mission continue its activities in Haiti.

5. To congratulate the heads of state and government of the OAS member and permanent observer states, the Ad Hoc Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs on Haiti, the secretaries general of the OAS and the UN, their special envoys, the OAS/UN International Civilian Mission in Haiti, the countries comprising the Group of Friends of the United Nations Secretary-General, the Caribbean Community, and various prominent members of the international community for their political and material contributions to the restoration of security, stability, peace, and the rule of law in Haiti.

6. To support the international community in sustaining, during this period of transition, the same level of commitment it demonstrated during the years of crisis, and to recommend that, at the request of the Haitian Government, the community maintain a strong presence in Haiti and extend, also at the Government's request, its full support for strengthening the national police and consolidating the stable and democratic environment necessary for economic growth and development.

7. To support as well the initiatives of the member states and permanent observers of the Organization of American States to strengthen their partnership with the Government and people of Haiti within the framework of efforts to advance sustainable development.

8. To urge international financial institutions to enhance their support for Haiti so that its Government may meet the many socioeconomic needs of the population, which could threaten the stability of the rule of law and the policy of national reconciliation launched with the return to constitutional order.

9. To request the OAS Secretary General to present a quarterly written report on the implementation of this resolution to the Permanent Council and transmit it to the UN Secretary-General, the international financial institutions, and the governments of the member and permanent observer states.