OAS unites to urge assistance, elections for Haiti

[seemslikeadream]

09 Jun 2004 03:01:32 GMT

By Amy Taxin

QUITO, Ecuador, June 8 (Reuters) - After weeks of tension, Caribbean nations moved past differences with the United States and Haiti on Tuesday to mandate regional assistance for the crisis-torn Caribbean nation to mend its battered democracy.


"I think it is particularly important that Caricom and all OAS countries, including Canada and the United States, finally have settled some of the differences they had in the past and now are ready to work on Haiti," Secretary General Cesar Gaviria told reporters after the resolution was passed.


Duly Brutus, Haiti's interim representative to the OAS, over the weekend said discord over the resolution stemmed from Caribbean nations' reluctance to call Haiti's authorities a "transitional government" or Aristide's exit a resignation.


Jamaican Foreign Minister K.D. Knight told Reuters the resolution looks to support Haiti but by no means brushes over past events that Caricom has called into question.

"It recognizes that because of the exigencies of the situation there is in place an administration," he said, but added that he does not consider this a legitimate government.



Haiti is expected to hold elections next year.

more
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N08120712.htm

EVERY DEATH CREATES NEW ENEMIES
MORE TERRORISTS
MORE DANGER
MORE DEATH
AND REMEMBER...
HE IS JUST GETTING STARTED...
BUSH'S PLAN FOR PEACE
IS THE PEACE OF THE COMMON GRAVE

http://www.bushflash.com/pax.html

[salin]

1. kick

[seemslikeadream]

2. Americas declare war on corruption

Powell told the meeting that corruption scared off investors.

(why don't you try telling that to your boss Colin)


QUITO, Ecuador (AP) -- Foreign Ministers from around the Americas have declared war on the region's deeply ingrained corruption at the end of a two-day meeting in this Andean capital.

The ministers on Tuesday also offered Haiti's new government the support of the inter-American community, committing their nations to undertaking "all the diplomatic initiatives necessary" to promote democracy in that country.

Addressing the annual gathering of the Organization of American States, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell urged the nations of the western hemisphere to "advance democratic governance and economic growth in this region" by fighting corruption.

"Corruption is deeply destructive of our people's faith in democracy," he said Monday during a debate on the general assembly's final document. "And corruption scares off investors, denying countries the money they need to lift themselves out of poverty and onto the road to sustainable development."

The document, signed by 34 foreign ministers or heads of delegations, recognizes "that corruption has a serious impact on public and private institutions, weakens economic growth and impinges upon the needs and fundamental interests of a country's most vulnerable social groups."
http://edition.cnn.com/2004/BUSINESS/06/09/americas.corruption.ap/

[seemslikeadream]

3. kick

[struggle4progress]

4. and again

:kick:

[seemslikeadream]

5. WHILE I SIT HERE TRYING TO THINK OF THINGS TO SAY

struggle4progress you wouldn't mind seeing this again would you?



SOMEONE LIES BLEEDING IN A FIELD SOMEWHERE



SO IT WOULD SEEM WE'VE STILL GOT A LONG LONG WAY TO GO



I'VE SEEN ALL I WANNA SEE TODAY



WHILE I SIT HERE TRYING TO MOVE YOU ANYWAY I CAN



SOMEONE'S SON LIES DEAD IN A GUTTER SOMEWHERE



AND IT WOULD SEEM THAT WE'VE GOT A LONG LONG WAY TO GO



BUT I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE



SWITCH IT OFF IT WILL GO AWAY



TURN IT OFF IF YOU WANT TO



SWITCH IT OFF OR LOOK AWAY



WHILE I SIT AND WE TALK AND TALK AND WE TALK SOME MORE



SOMEONE'S LOVED ONE'S HEART STOPS BEATING IN A STREET SOMEWHERE



SO IT WOULD SEEM WE'VE STILL GOT A LONG LONG WAY TO GO, I KNOW



I'VE HEARD ALL I WANNA HEAR TODAY



TURN IT OFF IF YOU WANT TO (TURN IT OFF IF YOU WANT TO)



SWITCH IT OFF IT WILL GO AWAY (SWITCH IT OFF IT WILL GO AWAY)



TURN IT OFF IF YOU WANT TO (TURN IT OFF IF YOU WANT TO)



SWITCH IT OFF OR LOOK AWAY (SWITCH IT OFF OR LOOK AWAY)



SWITCH IT OFF



SWITCH IT OFF



SWITCH IT OFF



SWITCH IT OFF



SWITCH IT OFF



TURN IT OFF



thanks phil collins for the words
my heart to the people of Haiti

[struggle4progress]

9. It's a fine photo essay

though it makes me sad. :(

[seemslikeadream]

11. Really Bad Trade News Obscured by Distractingly Bad News on Other Fronts

Thanks struggle4progress I just want people to see Haiti and so do Tiniore

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x613740

The Nicaraguan government -- next to Haiti, the poorest country in the Hemisphere -- signed the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) in late May. This may signal the end of farming there. How can small corn farmers compete against the US giants who use taxpayers' financial support to manipulate prices in order to capture weaker markets?

In addition, Nicaraguan corn, like that grown in Mexico, has both religious and biological importance. The genetically altered corn offered by the US companies quickly pollutes and destroys whatever native strains farmers may have protected.

This aspect of globalization worries environmentalists, just as the increase in poverty worries serious economists and all humans whose hearts continue to retain that empathy valve for human suffering.

Ashley Seager, writing in the May 28 Guardian, extrapolates from the most recent Amnesty report that "the number of people in the least developed countries living in absolute poverty, or less than $1 a day, would rise to 471 million in 2015 from 334 million now," should trends continue.

more
http://www.counterpunch.org/landau06102004.html

[GermanDJ]

14. I used to think

... that this sort of atrocities in South and Middle America are part of history and happened in the 80's.

But the truth is: I was just not paying attention what is going on these days...

It's terrible and heartbreaking to think, that these people have to suffer so that the West can produce cheap products with a modern form of slavery. It's unbelievable!

[0007]

15. 'Wish the media would jump on this story and photos

Thanks for the information.

[seemslikeadream]

6. Oxfam says access is biggest obstacle in assisting Haiti flood victims

Oxfam International
Website: http://www.oxfam.org
For immediate release 9 June

Port Au Prince: International agency Oxfam said today 15 days after devastating floods swept Haiti, humanitarian agencies are still unable to reach tens of thousands of people who are in desperate need of relief supplies.

“People are beginning to despair,” says Raphael Sindaye, Oxfam’s Senior Programme Coordinator in Haiti. “For the agencies trying to respond to people’s needs, lacking the means to transport the materials required is very frustrating.”

The US-lead Multinational Interim force -that arrived after an armed rebellion ousted former president Jean Bertrand Aristide on February – was flying helicopters carrying supplies up to June 1. However after the US forces handed over to the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (Minustah), these flights ceased.

The Mapou area is only accessible by helicopter or by foot, and tens of thousands of people there have little if any access to food and water. Reconstruction has yet to commence and a stable, on going and guaranteed system of humanitarian assistance is yet to be established.

Access to Fonds Verretts is possible on 4 x 4 vehicles but there is no security on the road, and reports have stated that aid convoys have been intercepted and looted by desperate civilians.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/fromthefield/108680560997.htm

[seemslikeadream]

7. Grave Human Rights Problems Continuing In Haiti

Grave Human Rights Problems Continuing In Haiti

A Delegation from the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) visited Haiti from April 12-19, and documented serious continuing violations of human rights, including killings, disappearances, burning of homes and intimidation, often directed at supporters of Haiti's elected government. The Delegation found a high degree of insecurity affecting all Haitians, as criminal gangs, often lead by convicted killers, control large parts of the country and operate with impunity. The Delegation also found that the Multinational Interim Force (MIF) in Haiti was not acting to curb violence by paramilitary gangs, and was involved in illegal, warrantless arrests and holding of prisoners without documentation or legal justification. The delegation issued a report available on the National Lawyers Guild's website, www.nlg.org.

On February 29, 2004, Haiti's democratically-elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was forcibly removed from power. In response to reports of serious human rights violations occurring in the aftermath of this coup d'Žtat, the NLG sent two delegations to Haiti to investigate and report on the human rights situation. The first delegation visited Haiti from March 29-April 5, 2004, including the capitol, Port-au-Prince and areas in the south of Haiti. It issued a summary report on April 11, 2004 (available at www.nlg.org). That delegation confirmed reports of politically-motivated killings and other human rights violations, and found that these violations were not adequately reported by the media and local human rights groups. Around the same time, delegations from Amnesty International, the Quixote Center and Human Rights Watch documented these and other serious problems.

The Delegation confirmed that many of the serious, sometimes deadly human rights violations documented by previous delegations continued. Everywhere it went, people reported the presence of lawless armed gangs, some including known human rights violators. Many areas were openly controlled by gangs, some of whom claimed to be the reconstituted Haitian Armed Forces. Supporters of Haiti's elected government reported continued repression, including killings and burning of houses. The Delegation noted an absence of active, trained police and judicial officials.

The Delegation calls for the restoration of the Rule of Law in Haiti, including: a) the immediate arrest of all people convicted of human rights violations; b) establishment of a climate of security, with special protection given to supporters of the Constitutional government and others targeted by violence; and 3) the immediate restoration of Haiti's elected government.

more
http://www.coastalpost.com/04/06/03.htm

[seemslikeadream]

8. Lawyers Investigate Violations of International Law

Contact: Marjorie Cohn, National Lawyers Guild, 858-204-3565
David Gespass, International Association of Democratic Lawyers, 205-903-2743

Press Conference: Friday, April 16, 11am, National Lawyers Guild Office, 143 Madison Avenue, 4th Floor (212-679-5100).

DELEGATION OF LAWYERS TO REPORT ON
MEETING WITH ARISTIDE

Lawyers Investigate Violations of International Law Surrounding
de facto Haitian Government Following February Coup



The only defense force available to the Haitian government, which had no military, was its police. A shipment of equipment for the police was sent from South Africa and the transport stopped in Jamaica to refuel on February 28. Before it could arrive in Haiti, the coup had already been executed, as the U.S. refused to assist the legitimate government, except to set into motion the President’s departure. Nevertheless, immediately following the coup, U.S. forces were deployed to Haiti, allegedly to restore stability and order.

The coup in Haiti occurred in the context of the growing movement among African descendants for reparations for centuries of slavery and colonialism. Before the coup, Haiti was asserting its own claim for reparations from France and Citibank. Since France and the U.S. were the principal forces supporting the coup, their motivations are highly suspect.

The National Lawyers Guild’s delegation to Haiti verified the brutal and indiscriminate repression against the civilian population since the coup. However, the U.S. has closed its borders to Haitian political refugees and the Coast Guard has forced them back, disregarding the imminent danger they face upon forced return to Haiti.

more
http://www.nlg.org/news/statements/haiti_pc.htm

[Just Me]

13. Well, thank God!!! That is a bit of good news, all things considered.

Most everything else I hear about Haiti is just,...tormenting. :cry:

[struggle4progress]

10. OAS clears way for probe into Aristide's ouster

<snip>
Over the initial objections of the United States and Haiti, the OAS General Assembly approved a resolution Tuesday night that would allow an "assessment" of what occurred in Haiti in February when Aristide was ousted.
<snip>
Article 20 states: "In the event of unconstitutional alterations of the constitutional regime that seriously impairs the democratic order in a member state, any member state or the secretary-general may request the immediate convocation of the Permanent Council to undertake a collective assessment of the situation."
<snip>
Haiti's new government and US officials were opposed to activating Article 20, but the 15-member Caribbean Community insisted on its inclusion and the debate dragged on for hours Tuesday, delaying the closure of the assembly.

CARICOM refuses to recognise Haiti's new government and has called for an investigation into the circumstances of Aristide's departure.
<snip>

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/html/20040609T220000-0500_60991_OBS_OAS_CLEARS_WAY_FOR_PROBE_INTO_ARISTIDE_S_OUSTER_.asp

[seemslikeadream]

12. Let America be America Again

Let America be America again.
Let it be the dream it used to be.
Let it be the pioneer on the plain
Seeking a home where he himself is free.

(America never was America to me.)

Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed--
Let it be that great strong land of love
Where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme
That any man be crushed by one above.

(It never was America to me.)

O, let my land be a land where Liberty
Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath,
But opportunity is real, and life is free,
Equality is in the air we breathe.

(There's never been equality for me,
Nor freedom in this "homeland of the free.")

Say, who are you that mumbles in the dark?
And who are you that draws your veil across the stars?

I am the poor white, fooled and pushed apart,
I am the Negro bearing slavery's scars.
I am the red man driven from the land,
I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek--
And finding only the same old stupid plan
Of dog eat dog, of mighty crush the weak.

I am the young man, full of strength and hope,
Tangled in that ancient endless chain
Of profit, power, gain, of grab the land!
Of grab the gold! Of grab the ways of satisfying need!
Of work the men! Of take the pay!
Of owning everything for one's own greed!

I am the farmer, bondsman to the soil.
I am the worker sold to the machine.
I am the Negro, servant to you all.
I am the people, humble, hungry, mean--
Hungry yet today despite the dream.
Beaten yet today--O, Pioneers!
I am the man who never got ahead,
The poorest worker bartered through the years.

Yet I'm the one who dreamt our basic dream
In the Old World while still a serf of kings,
Who dreamt a dream so strong, so brave, so true,
That even yet its mighty daring sings
In every brick and stone, in every furrow turned
That's made America the land it has become.
O, I'm the man who sailed those early seas
In search of what I meant to be my home--
For I'm the one who left dark Ireland's shore,
And Poland's plain, and England's grassy lea,
And torn from Black Africa's strand I came
To build a "homeland of the free."

The free?

Who said the free? Not me?
Surely not me? The millions on relief today?
The millions shot down when we strike?
The millions who have nothing for our pay?
For all the dreams we've dreamed
And all the songs we've sung
And all the hopes we've held
And all the flags we've hung,
The millions who have nothing for our pay--
Except the dream that's almost dead today.

O, let America be America again--
The land that never has been yet--
And yet must be--the land where every man is free.
The land that's mine--the poor man's, Indian's, Negro's, ME--
Who made America,
Whose sweat and blood, whose faith and pain,
Whose hand at the foundry, whose plow in the rain,
Must bring back our mighty dream again.

Sure, call me any ugly name you choose--
The steel of freedom does not stain.
From those who live like leeches on the people's lives,
We must take back our land again,
America!

O, yes,
I say it plain,
America never was America to me,
And yet I swear this oath--
America will be!

Out of the rack and ruin of our gangster death,
The rape and rot of graft, and stealth, and lies,
We, the people, must redeem
The land, the mines, the plants, the rivers.
The mountains and the endless plain--
All, all the stretch of these great green states--
And make America again!

Let America be America Again...by Langston Hughes