Caricom team happy with Haiti visit
Stabroek News
July 15, 2004
(BBC) Caribbean foreign ministers who visited Haiti to assess conditions for restoring relations, say they are satisfied that the interim government has cleared the way for resuming ties.
The five member team left Haiti yesterday, after meeting government officials.
Haitian officials have promised presidential, parliamentary and local elections by next year, and a new, duly elected president sworn in by 2006.
Overall, the Caribbean community (Caricom) team said they were satisfied that the way could be cleared for a resumption of normal relations.
Last week Caricom laid out clear conditions for restoring normal relations with Port-au-Prince.
These included a call for elections, a demand for the interim government to be even-handed in bringing all lawbreakers to justice, and a call to engage all the political parties, including ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide's Family Lavalas, in the political process.
As the Caricom team left on Wednesday Barbados Foreign Ministry Billie Miller said there were no sticking points.
The visit could therefore signal a change in relations between the two countries which have been strained since President Aristide, left office in February.
Caricom leaders had been concerned about the part played by the US administration in bringing Haitian interim prime minister Gerard Latortue to power following Mr Aristide's departure.
Mr Aristide said that the Americans forced him from office - a charge Washington denies.
Relations became further strained a month later - in March - when Jamaica granted Mr Aristide temporary asylum.
The five member delegation is due to deliver a full written report of the visit to Caricom secretariat.