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AHP News February 12 2004<br><br>
<br><br>
Supporters of the opposition political platform are accused of wanting to
<br>
take over police stations in Port-au-Prince’s metropolitan area<br><br>
<br>
Port-au-Prince, February 12 2004 -(AHP)- The demonstration that the
<br>
opposition political platform had planned to organize this Thursday in
<br>
Port-au-Prince to demand the overthrow of constitutional authorities was
<br>
frustrated.<br><br>
Many members of the population had put up flamed tires barricades earlier
in <br>
the morning at the Canapé-Vert park, where the demonstration was supposed
to <br>
start off. They claimed they had information that supporters of the
platform <br>
were getting ready to invade the police station of this area. " We
have <br>
information from safe sources about the plan of the coalition lead by
André <br>
Apaid to invade Canapé-Vert’s police station and other police stations
from <br>
Port-au-Prince’s metropolitan area, leaders of the movement
declared.<br><br>
Young men and young women interviewed on their sense of mobilization
pointed <br>
out that the violent acts perpetrated by opposition supporters in
Gonaïves <br>
will not be reproduced in Port-au-Prince.<br>
" We will stay up day and night to stop them from setting fire and
<br>
plundering police stations and private houses, they claimed.<br><br>
The leader of the organization Popular Youth Power (JPP), René Civil,
<br>
declared that the population has good reasons to believe that supporters
of <br>
the platform of 184 were ready to take action after burning down and
<br>
plundering Gonaïves, Saint-Marc, Dondon and Saint-Raphaël, René Civil
<br>
declared. " Who can still pretend that the opposition political
platform is <br>
a peaceful organization? ", M. Civil declared, reminding that
members of the <br>
184 don’t even respect diplomatic missions.<br><br>
Members of this organization recently took over premises of the OAS
mission <br>
and the Mexican Embassy in Haiti in order to make political demands. In
both <br>
cases, they were forced to leave.<br><br>
Leader of Saint-Jean Bosco church communities Paul Raymond, confirmed
that <br>
he also had safe information on the bad intentions of the platform
leaders <br>
and members. “Our goal is not to keep the opposition from demonstrating
but <br>
to protect the State institutions and the population from the
opposition’s <br>
violence, he said. He declared that the consequences of the traffic
jam <br>
caused by the barricades erected by members of the population could be a
lot <br>
less than the damage the opposition was getting ready to cause.<br>
Since the beginning of the week, platform leaders in Port-au-Prince have
<br>
been participating in a complete operation aiming to make people believe
<br>
they have nothing to do with the deadly violence committed by their
<br>
supporters in Gonaïves. However, they have never condemned this
violence.<br>
In Parallel, opposition spokespersons did the same in the City of <br>
Independence. However, a member of the Métayer family pointed out
Wednesday <br>
to the AHP, anonymously, that his colleagues and himself had been put
under <br>
great pressure to deny their membership. However, he underlined that all
<br>
their actions are decided together with the platform leaders in <br>
Port-au-Prince.<br><br>
<br><br>
The opposition platform keeps saying that it is a peaceful organization
and <br>
accuses the population of frustrating its demonstration<br><br>
<br>
Port-au-Prince, February 12 2004 -(AHP)-Leaders of the opposition
platform <br>
accused Tuesday members of the population of frustrating their
demonstration <br>
with provocation.<br><br>
KID leader Evans Paul declared that the platform leaders had to cancel
the <br>
demonstration to avoid being victims of violence from OP Lavalas
members.<br><br>
The platform of 184 is presently greatly criticized by national and
<br>
international sectors who accuse it of being behind the deadly violence
<br>
committed by its supporters in Gonaïves and in other areas of the
country. <br>
However, Evans Paul held governmental authorities responsible of the
violent <br>
climate maintained by armed bands who claim to be from the
opposition.<br><br>
According to Mr. Paul, the cancelled demonstration will take place on
Sunday <br>
February 15th in order to continue to demand the resignation of the Head
of <br>
State. "The violence will not stop until President Aristide decides
to give <br>
the power over to the opposition", Evans Paul declared. He once
again <br>
rejected dialogue, negotiation and elections as a path to come out of the
<br>
crisis.<br><br>
Coordinator of Group of 184, André Apaid Junior, also declared that the
<br>
platform was against any form of violence against the population. He
<br>
declared that his political coalition is leading what he calls a peaceful
<br>
struggle against constitutional authorities. He asked the international
<br>
community to help him reach his goal.<br><br>
The platform of 184 cancelled its demonstration this Thursday because of
<br>
barricades put up by members of the population who claimed they had
<br>
information that supporters of the platform were getting ready to invade
and <br>
set in fire Canapé-Vert’s police station.<br><br>
AHP February 12 2004 10:15 AM<br><br>
<br>
The CEH president calls the parties in conflict to go back to the table
of <br>
dialogue in order to avoid a civil war in the country<br><br>
<br>
Port-au-Prince, February 12 2004 -(AHP)- The president of the Episcopal
<br>
Conference of Haiti, Mgr. Hubert Constant, reiterated Thursday that the
CEH <br>
did not cancel the proposition to come out of the crisis made in November
<br>
2003.<br><br>
Cap-Haïtien’s bishop, who declared he was worried about the rising of
<br>
violence in the country, pointed out that the CEH is presently working on
a <br>
new proposition. He welcomes the CARICOM’s initiative, trying to bring
the <br>
two parties back to the table of negotiations in order to get the country
<br>
out of the dead-end.<br><br>
He underlined that the Church could not produce a new document while
CARICOM <br>
had a proposition on the table. Accepted by Haitian authorities, this
<br>
proposition has been rejected by the opposition political platform who
<br>
claims not to be interested by any dialogue with the Head of
State.<br><br>
And since then, its supporters have been using violent means in many
regions <br>
of the country in their anti-governmental struggle. They have killed many
<br>
members of the population, set in fire and plunder police stations and
<br>
private homes.<br><br>
Mgr. Hubert Constant calls all actors to sacrifice to avoid a civil war
in <br>
the country.<br><br>
During a march that ended in front of the Port-au-Prince’s cathedral
<br>
Wednesday, hundreds of women dressed in white called the Catholic church
to <br>
assume its responsibilities in regards to the violent climate created by
the <br>
opposition’s refusal to dialogue. Only violent and radical people against
<br>
negotiation, they pointed out, denouncing at the same time the Church
<br>
dignitaries who encouraged the violent demonstrations organized in
Gonaïves <br>
by ex-prisoner Jean Tatoune.<br>
They also demanded the respect of the constitution.<br>
AHP February 12 2004 11:35 AM<br><br>
<br><br>
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