[News] IMPORTANT HAITI INFORMATION

[claude]

AHP December 15, 2003 3:00 PM




-----------------Translator's note: The following account of the 
demonstrations in front of the National Palace was written by Michelle 
Karshan, Foreign Press Liaison at the National Palace. This report has no 
connection with AHP, but may be of some interest in light of the attention 
the demonstrations have been receiving. ---- It is in turn followed by the 
English translation of President Aristide's press conference on December 
10.------

 From Michelle Karshan, Foreign Press Liaison, National Palace (011509) 
228-2058

Rough notes on Friday's events that may have thus far not been reported. 
(The following is based on a combination of radio broadcasts of events and 
interviews (radio stations across the band), National Television reporting, 
conversations with US and local press present at events, and my own 
observations.

As I said in an earlier email, Thursday night popular organizations came 
out to stand vigilant in front of the National Palace, to guard the 
people's choice.  Cars circulated Thursday night and Friday morning (again 
when pro-government masses were taking to the streets) shooting 
indiscriminately into crowds (approx. 10 shot, approx. 7 dead.  See below 
for some details).

Nevertheless, in sharp contrast to the violent demands of the opposition 
for the immediate overthrow of the government, the people took to the 
streets by the tens of thousands Friday to call for respect of the 
constitutional mandate of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

Tens of thousands (seen on National Television and reports by press 
present) of pro-government supporters marched through the streets of 
downtown Port-au-Prince Friday morning to mid-day.  Amongst them were 
women, children, elderly and students who identified themselves as the 
Collective of University Students, and parliamentary and local 
representatives from throughout the country.

The majority responds to the minority. With both hands thrust in the air 
displaying all five fingers on each hand to represent the five-year 
presidential term and the people's will to see the President finish his 
term, people chanted, "Elections, YES!  Coup d'etat, NO! Aristide for FIVE 
YEARS!"

People said if the opposition thinks they are the majority then why don't 
they go to elections to prove it.  (To date the opposition has sabotaged 
all efforts to hold elections.)

The people expressed their commitment to democracy and its processes saying 
that if after Aristide's term of five years is over, whoever runs for 
President and is democratically elected, then their term will be respected, 
no matter who it is, but that the five years of this President must be 
allowed to finish its term.

Representatives of the Collective, a pro-government group of public and 
private university students, spoke to the press (aired on National 
Television) and said they also denounce the violent incident that took 
place at one of the universities last week but that they stand for 
education and that it is patriotic to go to school and as such they stand 
against the closing of the schools.  Schools have been closed because of 
the demonstrations held by the opposition.  They said yes to schooling, no 
to closing the universities!



The people who flooded the streets - diverse members of the popular 
movement -- were heard on numerous radio stations across the band as well 
as on the National Television. People also came out in different towns and 
also were interviewed on the radio stations, particularly Radio Ginen. Some 
spoke of a class struggle between the rich and the poor. Many denounced the 
former army and reiterated the people's determination not to go 
backwards.  In response to Dany Toussaint's comments Thursday, many people 
interviewed said the people are watching the former military, and now Dany 
is standing face to face against the people once again as the military 
did.  They said they say no to going backwards, and reiterated that the 
people have chosen democracy as the way!

Saying that children need schooling, families need food and houses to live 
in, the people said they will not go backwards, only forwards in 
solidarity.  They asked for respect for the people's choice.

People said that the opposition is trying to boycott and sabotage the 
upcoming 2004 bicentennial celebrations - plunging Haiti into violence and 
paralysis.  People said the masses are for Jean-Bertrand Aristide and will 
continue to mobilize for 2004.

People said, There will be no coup d'etat in the country again.  The people 
are clear, the Haitian people have stood up. No to anarchy, yes to 
democracy!  They cannot bring down the resistance of the people!  No matter 
what, the President will finish his term.

Some people addressed the university students who were working with the 
opposition, asking them not to allow themselves to be manipulated by the 
opposition by gifts of visas or money.  They also said they don't want 
ambassadors to visit universities anymore because they are luring people 
with offers of visas.

Some people interviewed said that former military and FRAPH members had 
infiltrated the "student" march the day before (on Thursday) swelling the 
numbers of persons in their march.

People said they will remain vigilant in the streets throughout the country 
to demand respect for democratic principles.

Mario Dupuy, the Secretary of State for Communications, said, "We will 
protect the rights of all citizens`All people should help the police to 
protect the radio stations."
He also said, "We will continue to mobilize and celebrate in peace our 
bicentennial of independence." The police secured various radio stations.

I spoke with three journalists who each visited the hospital on Friday at 
different times during the day.  They interviewed persons (two of the 
journalists told me they were persons who identified themselves as 
militants who were taking to the streets in support of the government) who 
were shot either Thursday night or Friday morning by cars circulating (some 
said without license plates) and shooting indiscriminately at people.  One 
person was shot by the marketplace downtown, one on Rue Pavee, one woman 
was injured when she fled from a car that was speeding at people.

Kevin Pina interviewed these gunshot victims on film.  (Press can contact 
me for his contact information).  (Evens Sanon photographed these 
victims.  Press can contact me for his contact information).  (Amy Bracken 
of Reuters interviewed these victims).  As I said, from talking with these 
journalists I estimated that approximately 10 persons were at the General 
Hospital as a result of these shootings.  Approximately 7 of them died on 
Friday.

As for the gentleman (Andre Jean-Marie) I talked about in my earlier email, 
it seems that he had arrived in a car near the Palace Thursday evening to 
join other popular organizations in front of the Palace to give his support 
to the President, when he was struck by bullets.  Kevin Pina describes the 
tragic incident as follows:


Dear Friends,

It is with great grief and sadness that I inform you of the assassination of
my dear friend Andre Jan-Marie the evening of December 11, 2003. He was
killed in a drive by shooting near the National Palace by unknown
assailants who apparently followed his vehicle and waited for him to leave
his car. Andre had gone to the palace for a literacy campaign meeting
earlier that same evening but had returned to lend his presence to the
thousands of supporters camped in front of the palace to defend their
constitutional president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

Andre was the coordinator of the government's literacy program in
Petion-Ville and his only crime was that he was committed to teaching the
poor majority how to read and write. He was also a co-founder of the SOPUDEP
school that serves the poorest children in Petion-Ville. I am affiliated
with the school and can testify to the difference it has made to the
community.

Andre is survived by his wife and two young sons. He is truly a hero in the
struggle for democracy on behalf of Haiti's poor majority. He will always
live in hearts and dreams for a better Haiti. God bless you and keep you
safe Andre Jan-Marie.



Sincerely,

Kevin Pina
December 13, 2003
Port au Prince, Haiti

Andre Jean-Marie, in his late thirties, was the official coordinator of the 
literacy program in Petionville.  When the literacy centers noticed that 
parents were bringing their children with them to the literacy centers to 
also learn how to read and write, Mr. Jean-Marie and others discovered that 
these very poorest of the poor families could not access education for 
their children (see below).  (This brings to mind the IDB loans, one of 
which is for expansion of schools, and which still have not been released 
to the government of Haiti).

As a result, Mr. Jean-Marie and others founded and oversaw a non-profit 
elementary school in Petionville (SOPUDEP). The building the school was in 
was seized by the government and turned over for non-profit use.

Just this week a peace and justice delegation from the Church of St. Joan 
of Arc in Minnesota met with this school and interviewed its director and 
Mr. Jean-Marie.  They have this interview on film.  The head of this 
delegation is Paul Miller.  They returned to Minnesota today as scheduled. 
(Press interested in contact information for Paul Miller can contact me).

The Church of St. Joan of Arc described SOPUDEP in their delegation 
materials prior to arriving in Haiti as follows:

"SOPUDEP.  A local community group that has started an elementary school in 
the former residence of a former Ton Ton Macoute member.  The school 
provides education for children whose parents could not afford to send them 
to school and could not find a place for them in the over crowded 
classrooms of the already overwhelmed public schools system."




------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


PRESS CONFERENCE BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC, HIS EXCELLENCY 
JEAN-BERTRAND ARISTIDE, ON THE OCCASION OF INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS DAY.

Opening speech by President ARISTIDE :

Dear friends, good afternoon! You are more than welcome in the home of the 
People.

Today is a day when everyone in the world thinks about human rights, the 
rights everyone must respect. That is why I chose to meet with you today, 
you from the Press, to talk about human rights that everyone must respect.

Symbolically, here with me is Minister Antonio, the Minister of Foreign 
Affairs, a mother whose child was killed by criminals who don¹t respect 
human rights. It was [Police] Captain Bonnet, who was killed by murderers 
last November 17th, at three o¹clock in the afternoon. They didn¹t respect 
his rights. He was fighting people who are in drug trafficking, they killed 
him. With Mommy Inès, who is Captain Bonnet¹s mother, is his brother, Jean 
Bradley, who is a policeman also.

In the name of the State, in the name of the Government, I embrace Mommy 
Inès once again for your courage, and for the way you are going through the 
pain. Your pain is all of our pain too.

I have a mother, all of us who have a mother, we can imagine how you are 
suffering, being a mother who just lost a great son who was in the police 
and who was doing his job.

We share the same condolences with the entire Bonnet family who is not 
here. Jean Bradley, courage. Keep hanging in there where you are working in 
the police so you can always continue to protect and to serve everyone¹s 
rights like the Constitution asks the police to do.

We have this meeting symbolically today, because Mommy Inès who is here 
represents several mothers who see their children being victims throughout 
the country, or last Friday, which saw their child being a victim in what 
happened in the Faculty of Sciences and in INAGHEI.

Since Friday night, we, the State, the Government, in the note signed by 
the Prime Minister, we say this is unacceptable. And we condemn it without 
reservation.

Monday, the Prime Minister continued to express our position. Today, I 
continue to express that same position.

What happened last Friday is unacceptable. Under no circumstances can we 
tolerate those unacceptable acts. This is a condemnation of violence, 
wherever it comes from, wherever it comes from, without distinction.

We are pacifists.

We want peace to reign in Haiti.

This is why we have always condemned violence.

And we will never, never accept to give in to violence.

With the law, the Constitution, the rights, in this dynamic that is there 
to build a state of rights, we reaffirm our determination to protect Human 
Rights on this day where everywhere, we hold hands for the protection of 
all human rights.

I had the occasion to speak with Rector Paquiot Sunday morning. Once again, 
I renew our sympathy. Vice-rector Laleau, teachers, students, students¹ 
parents, everyone who is shocked, who is scandalized, you are right to be 
because this is unacceptable. A university is a sacred place. Students 
should never see people violate the place where they are nurturing their 
intelligence so that they can serve the country tomorrow.

It is clear that whether it is people who choose to violate those places to 
take advantage of the students¹ position, when they use violence, we cannot 
shut our eyes not to see that or not to condemn it.

So in a word, I take the occasion to renew our solidarity with all citizens 
who fight for the respect of human rights.

Many students spoke up and showed how they are not happy about what 
happened. We agree with them because we are not happy either about what 
happened. Whether it is in the Faculty of Sciences or in Inaghei, always, 
in every faculty, in every school, people must never tolerate people who 
use violence.

I remember last year, in many schools, some people had chosen to change 
themselves into false students to use violence. Others financed the 
movement of false students so they could use violence.

We say it is: "Unacceptable."

In a country where we don¹t have many schools for the number of young 
people who want to go to school, we cannot tolerate people who take their 
money to dress people to pose as schoolboys and girls, as false students, 
to disturb education.

I ask all authorities concerned to be as one with parents to protect the 
education space, because it is a sacred space, to protect the schoolboys 
and girls, the students. Because they are the country¹s future.

Judicial authorities must also assume their responsibilities. They must 
arrest people who must be arrested. And that is why on Friday, when I was 
on the phone, following how the situation was going on, I was happy to 
learn that they arrested a policeman who was among the false students who 
were inside one of the faculties where they were shooting on people in the 
street. If there are accomplices, if there is infiltration, we will not 
accept it. It is unacceptable. Judicial authorities, police authorities, 
all authorities with the law in hand, we must work together so that peace 
returns, so that rights are respected.

Today is a day where we speak about human rights. And for the second part 
of my intervention, before you start asking questions, I want to speak 
about the rights people have to vote.

We cannot deny people their right to vote. When people go to elections, 
when they vote, it is a right they exercise.

Everyone must respect that right.

When the people want to go to elections to cast their ballot, it is a 
sacred right. Everyone must respect that right.

That is why, under such circumstances, elections is a path we must take. 
And so, we have the obligation to respect the right of Haitians to vote. 
And the right they have to vote again. I ask everyone who is concerned to 
do everything possible so that while we work to continue to improve human 
rights, we respect the rights that people have to vote.

The rights people have to vote is directly, directly connected with that 
truth, the truth that everyone counts. In a society where everyone counts, 
when a person votes, we must count his right. When a person wants to go 
vote in good free, honest and democratic elections, they must count that 
too. If it is a society where there is an apartheid, then, they will deny 
the right to vote of a certain category of people. If it is a democratic 
society, they will respect everyone¹s right to vote. Because everyone counts.

Secondly, it is not confrontation, but dialogue that will lead us to the 
holding of free, honest and democratic elections. If some actors still 
believe that there is not enough security for them to send their people in 
the consensus electoral council, because it is that council that will 
organize the elections, it is clear that they have the right to hold such a 
position.

But democracy requires that we use dialectical arms and not deadly arms. 
Confrontation is excluded, we are open to dialogue to tackle the problems 
related to the holding of elections. And then, progressively, we reach a 
democratic compromise and we organize elections together, with security for 
all, of course.

So, it is important that when we talk about respecting human rights, we 
don¹t forget the rights people have to vote, in order to respect that when 
they vote. The rights people have to vote and the duty we have as citizens 
to facilitate a solution through compromise.

When we talk about human rights, we also talk about duty. All citizen have 
duties. And we have the responsibility to accomplish our duty with respect, 
so that through dialogue, we go through the path the Constitution demands, 
which is the path of elections.

Besides the citizens¹ rights, there are also economic rights. So when we 
talk about human rights, we must not forget rights and duties.

I have the right to eat.

You have the right to eat.

It is not a favor, it is a right every Haitian has to eat. You must know 
how the embargo keeps every Haitian from eating well. It is not only the 
embargo that causes that, but it is one of the causes. That means that 
here, there is a flagrant violation of human rights, the right to eat.

Too often, we forget that right, even though it is a sacred right. That is 
why those who exercised their civic duty to go to elections to send me here 
in the home of the people expect from me this solemn call for the respect 
of all the rights, including the right to eat.

When everyone respects all those rights, the society will be more 
beautiful, peace will increase, everyone will be happier.

Congratulations to Cité Soleil who celebrated its Holiday yesterday in 
peace, despite the hunger there is in the entire country and in Cité Soleil 
too.

Because they are civilized people, they don¹t let the problem of eating 
keep them away from peace. And it is the entire Haitian people I embrace 
respectfully when I know how they don¹t let the problem of hunger, which is 
a violation of the right they have to eat, keep them from moving forward on 
the path of peace.

In this sense, everyone must do everything they can so that together, we 
protect all those rights.

The Electoral Council is essential.

I encourage all institutions involved, through dialogue, to send their 
people to the Electoral Council so they can take the oath. While with the 
actions put down and displayed, with sustained dialogue, we lay the land so 
that the country, which will soon celebrate its 200th anniversary of 
independence, can offer the electoral space which is the best way to solve 
many of our political problems.

With the questions you will ask, we can end. So I hope that even though not 
everyone will have time to ask questions, but some of you will have the 
occasion to ask questions.

CLAUDY JEAN-JACQUES (National Radio of Haiti):

My question is about the celebration of the bicentennial of the country¹s 
independence. Indeed, we are just a few days from this great celebration, 
which is a national event, that has an international impact.

Unfortunately, on this day, Haiti is going through a troubled time in some 
parts of the country. I would like you to send a special message to the 
Haitian population, no matter what their political leanings are.

PRESIDENT ARISTIDE:

Well, since we were talking about Gonaïves earlier, I¹ll answer the 
question with Gonaïves in mind. Maybe you saw last night on television the 
C.N.E. equipment they burned in Gonaïves. It is not the first time they 
burned equipment. They burned equipment in Péligre. They burned equipment a 
first time on the road to Gonaïves, near Saint-Marc. They burned it a third 
time too.

People who have a good civic sense, good patriotic sense, that hurts them 
because they know the country doesn¹t have much money, there is an embargo. 
So when it can do the impossible to buy equipment to make roads, then we 
must encourage people who do those beautiful works, we must not burn the 
equipment.

And I am certain many people in Gonaïves are mad when they see that 2, 3 
persons burn that equipment. Because it is not everybody in Gonaïves, but 
it is a very small, and I did say very small, amount of persons you can 
count on your fingers.

Us, we choose not to answer violence with violence.

We choose to identify the guilty parties even if that takes time. So that 
when we work against impunity, through law to get the guilty parties, we 
don¹t leave any space for the innocent to pay for the guilty. That can 
explain how sometimes there is a certain slowness when the police and 
justice are working. So, with the image of Gonaïves, we can talk of the 
reality of the entire country, which is that when a person receives money 
to burn the equipment the State is using to make roads, everyone must be 
united in peace to say: "No, this is not normal, this is not good." And 
that way, the country will move forward better towards the end of the crisis.

A FOREIGN JOURNALIST (WEEKLY NEWSPAPER "L¹EXPRESS"):

Excellency, I would like to know if because of the convergence of 
statements about the December 5th incidents, this black Friday, all 
statements say the same thing on one point: the collusion between policemen 
in uniform and rioting gangs.

I would like to know what the disciplinary and judicial consequences will be?

And furthermore, you underlined the crucial character of the right to 
expression through voting.

What does that mean in terms of a calendar, time limit, for both the 
formation of the electoral council and the date of the next legislative 
elections ?

Thank you.

PRESIDENT ARISTIDE:

Thank you. Since I talked about it in one of our two official languages, 
Creole, I¹ll try to be quick, since the translation of what I said earlier 
can complete the answer.

I asked judicial authorities, police authorities, authorities concerned to 
do everything to identify the guilty parties. And give them proportional 
sanctions, in accordance with the law. In this sense, there is an inquiry 
commission that has already started to work. And I even pointed out the 
arrest of a policeman, according to the information I received, who was put 
in prison so as not to let impunity destroy our society.

So I can only encourage all authorities concerned to do everything in order 
to punish the guilty parties, in conformity with the law. May peace come 
back, may teachers, parents and we, at the level of the government, may we 
stimulate that peaceful process that must necessarily end up on a State of 
Right.

About the second question.

According to the law, it is up to the electoral council, together with the 
authorities concerned to set a date for the holding of free, honest and 
democratic elections.

The current provisionary electoral council received clear instructions. As 
all the state authorities: to move forward by preparing the electoral field 
to give the responsibility to the consensus electoral council, once its 
members accept to take the oath.

We are late, because before January, we will have to face a partial void in 
the legislative corps since only one-third of the Senate will be left.

They are elected, we must continue to respect their duties, their rights. 
And so, they will work.

But with the two-thirds of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies absent, 
without forgetting the mayors, ASECS, CASECS, other elected ones, we will 
have a void.

And that is why I encourage all institutions concerned to send their 
members so they can take the oath and begin to assume their 
responsibilities. That includes the possibility to propose a date for the 
holding of the next elections. Me, I don¹t have the power to propose a 
date. I hope that when the time comes, we will know when the next elections 
will be. For myself, the sooner the better. It is clear that we will not 
have elections before the end of this year, but it is possible to have them 
at the beginning of 2004. It is something I wish for with all my heart.

JACQUES DESROSIERS (RADIO ARC-EN-CIEL) :

President, in your different interventions, you always speak about the 
economic embargo. We wonder why you speak of an economic embargo when, in 
the last decree that amends the National Assembly¹s special convocation, it 
is said that loan agreements with the BID [IDB] will be ratified.

PRESIDENT ARISTIDE:

Thank you. The economic embargo is not in contradiction with the recent 
signature of loan agreements.

Even before I returned to the Palace for a second term, we have been under 
an embargo. That means that the money lent to the Haitian State has been 
blocked. And meanwhile, we have been paying interest on those loans. The 
first 5 million dollars we paid in 2001 was interest on an amount of money 
we borrowed, but which was never given to us. That is an aspect of the embargo.

When you look at the consequences on the entire country today, you cannot 
forget those consequences. There probably are people who died younger 
because of the medication they couldn¹t buy, or because of an accident on a 
bad road, or because of a bad diet, and those are consequences of the embargo.

When the government tightens its belt to build all those schools, all those 
colleges, to repair all those kilometers of road, to build more, to invest 
in healthcare, we are happy because we fulfill our duties.  But we cannot 
forget that we could do much more if there was no embargo.

So, the backwardness accumulated cannot be a simple thing because it is 
about human beings who need to live every day in normal conditions, not 
subhuman conditions.

In that same state of mind, up until now, the BID made good steps when it 
agreed to unblock [the loans], (it hasn¹t been unblocked yet), when it 
agreed to unblock 201.9 million dollars. If we didn¹t have a Parliament to 
ratify those agreements, we would have to wait.

And then again, we have the obligation to think seriously, without letting 
scatterbrains provoke us to distract us. We must not get distracted.

The more we wait to have the next elections, the more we¹ll have to wait to 
have a Parliament. And then, how can we ratify the loan agreements through 
the Parliament? Close to 500 billion dollars are blocked. So, for now, the 
Parliament has ratified part of that money.

When someone says they care for Haitians, you must be serious. That means 
you must fulfill your duty as a citizen so that we can organize elections 
in a civilized way, in order to have a Parliament that is ready to ratify 
the next agreements sponsors will agree to send for ratification.

And so this is serious and we must assume our responsibilities seriously. 
In that context, we are very happy about the relationships now between the 
government and the sponsors, especially the BID [IDB]. We believe that the 
more time that goes by, the more our relations will give birth to other 
financial possibilities so that we can ease misery, fight infrastructure 
problems and allow that people who are brave, who have great patience, to 
stop paying the consequences of an unjust embargo like it has been doing up 
until now.

Maybe two more questions, so that I don¹t take anymore advantage of Mommy 
Inès¹ patience.

A journalist asked (in English) whether the President thinks that current 
political problems will prevent monies to fight AIDS from continuing to be 
given for Haiti in the future.

PRESIDENT ARISTIDE:

Thank you. I¹m very proud when I realize how we could develop a good 
partnership between the private and the public sector. Here in Haiti, 
regarding this issue, I always ask that they work together, public and 
private sector.

And they¹re facing this issue, yes, they did what we expected, I mean they 
work together. And when I see the international community with the Haitian 
private and public sectors working together, of course I feel encouraged 
and I¹m convinced what they are doing will prevent Haiti to register more 
people infected by that virus.

When we have more than three hundred thousand Haitians already infected, 
it¹s too much. So the good work of those who are concerned are doing from 
the private, public sectors, here from the international community, all 
together, I encourage that work and I¹m convinced, as I said, that it will 
improve the conditions of life for Haitians to face a better future.

As you can observe, for the past couple of years, we had political problems.

But it wasn¹t enough to prevent the private, the public and the 
international sectors from working together and this is what I think. We 
will address the political problems in each country, you may find political 
crises as we face political difficulties. With each of any real democratic 
process, to dialogue, we address issues, never with violence, always with 
dialogue, like the Constitution, searching for a way for those who invest 
their time, energy and financial resources in this area of AIDS.

A last question, if there is one.

Responding to another question asked in English about Haiti's claim for 
restitution from France and the President's meeting with France's 
Ambassador to Haiti earlier that morning:

Thank you. Yes, we met this morning and it¹s part of my responsibility. 
Each time it is possible or each time it is necessary for the President to 
meet an ambassador, we do that as we did this morning and it went very 
well. Because this is part of our way to assume our responsibility. Good 
way to exchange, to dialogue.

And this is the same dialogue in which I choose to address that issue, I 
mean, restitution. In the past, I said it, today, I say it again to you and 
in the future I will continue to say the same.

Never through confrontation, always through dialogue, addressing such 
issues as restitution. And I do believe we did it and we will continue to 
do it.

It is still possible for political parties in the opposition, through 
dialogue, for the good of the country, to participate in the coming 
elections and in the preparation of the path leading to the elections. The 
electoral council is an essential step to take. And there also, as I said, 
it is a question of the right to vote, respect of the right of people who 
voted and respect of the right of those who want to vote. Because to 
express yourself through voting is the best way to stimulate any democratic 
process.

About January 1st, all Haitians, I repeat it again, all Haitians, I repeat 
it again, it is in your interest, because you don¹t have chains in your 
feet, and if you don¹t have them in your brains, it is in your interest to 
speak, to dialogue peacefully and to prepare that beautiful celebration 
together because this is not about the future of a group of Haitians, but 
it is about the future of all Haitians, including those living on foreign land.

Thank you.

President Jean-Bertrand Aristide

National Palace, December 10 2003


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