Caribbean leaders to discuss diplomatic ties with Haiti

AP
Tuesday, July 27, 2004

GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) - Caribbean leaders will meet in Grenada tomorrow to consider whether to restore diplomatic ties with Haiti, officials said yesterday.

A delegation of five foreign ministers from the 15-member Caribbean Community visited Haiti earlier this month. After the trip ended July 14, they said they were satisfied with Haiti's pledges to hold elections and uphold justice, indicating the way had been cleared for resuming diplomatic ties.

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Seven Caribbean heads of government are expected to attend the one-day meeting in Grenada to review the delegation's final report, said Huntley Medley, a Community spokesman. They will most likely make a recommendation to other Caribbean leaders who are not attending the meeting.

The regional economic bloc suspended ties with Haiti following the ouster of Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide five months ago.

Prime Ministers Keith Mitchell of Grenada, Baldwin Spencer of Antigua, Kenny Anthony of St Lucia, Patrick Manning of Trinidad, Perry Christie of the Bahamas will be attending, in addition to President Ronald Venetiaan of Suriname, Medley said.

Turks and Caicos Islands Chief Minister Michael Misick is also scheduled to attend. The British territory is only an associate member of the Community, but Haiti has become an important issue there because Haitian boat people en route to the Bahamas or the United States are often detained there.

On July 14, Barbados Foreign Affairs Minister Billie Miller shook hands with and embraced US-backed interim Haitian Prime Minister Gerard Latortue, a sign of warming relations since Aristide's controversial departure on February 29. Aristide has claimed the United States kidnapped him and masterminded a coup.

The United States has denied the allegation, but the Caribbean Community has called for an investigation, and the Organisation of American States has agreed to look into Aristide's departure.

Haiti is the poorest and most populous member of the Caribbean bloc, with eight million people.

The Community has laid out several conditions for recognition, including new elections and disarming rebels who led an uprising against Aristide.

Haitian officials have promised parliamentary, presidential and local elections in 2005.

Latortue suspended membership in the Caribbean Community in March, angry that Jamaica gave temporary refuge to Aristide, who moved to South Africa on May 30 to begin temporary asylum there.