Statements of Martelly before leaving for the UN

Haiti Libre 9/09/2011 10:20:20

Before leaving the country to participate to the debates of the 66th Ordinary General Assembly of the UN, where the Head of State will speak to the tribune of the UN to present the situation of Haiti to the other member countries and will have the opportunity to meet many key players in the reconstruction of Haiti, the President Martelly, sent a message to the people at the airport :

"...We begin with the meetings tomorrow, for example with the President of Rwanda, President Kagame, [Martelly meet with the Secretary General of the UN this Monday at 10:30], there will be a cocktail hosted by the Secretary-General Ban Ki moon, where all the Heads of States are invited, a cocktail by President Obama and his wife, these are some things that are in the program.

[...] when I come back next week, I hope that the good news that have begun, will continue in the same direction, in particular we expect a positive vote in the Chamber of Senate on the Prime Minister-designate, so that it becomes once and for all, the Prime Minister ratified [...] and make, as soon as possible, the general policy statement and establish the Government. The time is to emergency.

I ask everyone to remain calm in the country, a little patience. A phrase that I love and I often say these days: "If someone is now sitting in the shade of a tree it is because someone planted a tree a long time ago" it means that today we are perhaps not in the shade, but we must plant the tree and it will take time to see the tree grow and give us shade, but we have a strong team, a dedicated team that is ready. [...] We have a Prime Minister-designate who is coming, who has experience, who master policy, which has the determination, who knows the international world and will support a President who has a vision, who knows his country and has already posed the problems and proposed solutions. The Prime Minister working closely with the President to ensure that the policy of the President becomes a reality.

We ask the entire population to be patient [...] the change does not mean that you will see the difference in one day, the change means that we will leave a system, which brought us nothing to develop a system that will allow the children in the country go to school and have a certain future, the reconstruction, agricultural recovery, the rule of law, equal justice for all, the security...

[...] the actions of the police are already beginning to be felt. The policy understand the determination of the President, it understands that the time has come to out of the disorder and once again it is a strong message that we will launch when we will be to the tribune of the United Nations. It is time that we take things seriously [...] Everyone has the right to protest, the President would have the right to protest in the streets to demand, everyone has that right, but it's over this question of disorder, of people who make the disorder in the country and preventing investors from coming into the country and create jobs [...] this will change.

We are here to build, we want the development and the development is not done by breaking, we need for order, peace and discipline [...] I ask the population to give its support, to support the vision of President in order to have a successful, to help the President succeed. I thank you, I leave for seven days and I hope that when I get back, I can remove the word "designated" and say that we have a Prime Minister "ratified". "

Reconstruction Plan for Haiti - Trans_City Architecture and Urbanism

Courtesy of Trans_City Architecture and Urbanism

Over the last 18 months, Trans_City architecture and urbanism, has developed a comprehensive plan for the reconstruction of Jacmel, Haiti based upon the concept of satellite cities located at the edge of the existing, earthquake-ravaged city center.(A concept developed in accordance with the universal design principals of the Housing Reconstruction Framework of the Haitian Government)

The concept includes an urban masterplan, and a proposal for prefabricated houses, in which the building shell is industrially manufactured in Austria, and finished by local hand workers. In line with the content of the project, the architecture does not attempt to be spectacular. Rather, it is the holistic integration of the many levels of an urban system that makes this project interesting. More images and project description after the break.

Courtesy of Trans_City Architecture and Urbanism

The urbanism proposes an ecologically sustainable planning for a topographically challenging tropical site. We have divided the site into three basic zones, depending upon their topographic qualities.

1) Steep hillsides, which are not buildable, are to be reforested.
2) Valley bottoms, which are also not buildable due to flash-flood dangers, will be terraced and converted to middle intensity agriculture for local consumption.
3) Ridges and plateaus are inhabitable for the built environment.

Courtesy of Trans_City Architecture and Urbanism

An essential objective of the planning was the construction of an affordable, ridge-top road network that linked the built-up areas with each other as well as to the access road Route 204 connecting to Jacmel. Along these roads, we developed a series of neighborhoods, each with their own school, market and commercial center. These are in turn linked to a central commercial and administration center adjoining a light industrial district which will house textile shops and – hopefully – baseball manufacture, a traditional handwork specialty of Haiti.

Courtesy of Trans_City Architecture and Urbanism

We have been working with representatives of the UNO in order to develop a socially responsible urban structure; child care (the light industrial workforce is largely female and child care is a burning issue), social centers and educational facilities are central aspects of the planning concept.

Courtesy of Trans_City Architecture and Urbanism

The spatial structure of the neighborhoods is determined by their topographic conditions. In the flatter areas (inclination zones I+II) the streets are laid out perpendicular to the main street in a classic gridiron system with interspersed green parks; the houses are one-story high. In the steeper areas (inclination zones III+IV) the streets track the site contours and are interconnected by a series of planted stairs; the two-family houses are two stories high and offset so that their entries address the terracing of the streets.

Courtesy of Trans_City Architecture and Urbanism

The architecture of the individual houses should be simple and directed to the needs and social practices of the Haitian people, as well as the tropical climate of the region. In final build-out houses will be built using local materials and techniques, but in the critical first phase, we propose using prefabricated, massive wooden components, produced in Austria, to build the houses.

Courtesy of Trans_City Architecture and Urbanism

The ambition is to use Austrian know-how to alleviate this extreme housing crisis. The Austrian timber industry is a world leader in the advanced manufacturing of massive wooden construction. Massive timber panels are extremely stable, therefore earthquake and hurricane resistant; when properly treated and constructed, they are highly impervious to termites.

Courtesy of Trans_City Architecture and Urbanism

Prefabricated parts will be transported to Jacmel in containers, and will be unpacked and the containers will be recycled as building blocks for the light-industrial workshops: recycling containers is the core competence of our NGO umbrella organization. The houses will be assembled in Jacmel into unfinished shells, which will then be sold or given (depending upon need, etc.) to the inhabitants.

Courtesy of Trans_City Architecture and Urbanism

In order to both spur the local economy and to increase owner identification with the new house – which is a serious issue in such projects – vouchers will be issued for contracting final build-out (painting, tiling, security and sun grates, etc.) to local handworkers. The goal is to insure the production of as much local added value as possible – and generate jobs and contracts for local handwork businesses.

Courtesy of Trans_City Architecture and Urbanism

The houses are based upon the classic Creole Cottage of New Orleans and the American South. We have done a number of years of urban and typological research into the New Orleans tradition, going back to the years before Katrina. These New Orleans typologies originated in the Caribbean and most especially in Haiti; therefore, we deemed it appropriate to use these types as a basis for the Jacmel project.

Courtesy of Trans_City Architecture and Urbanism

We have three house sizes, all of which use the Creole Cottage typology with its generous front porch. The front porch is an important attribute of this architecture. As Caribbean life takes place out of doors, we believe that the porch, with its advantage of social connectivity, is the ideal element for this culture and climate. We also embrace Jane Jacobs’ ancient yet always applicable argument that networked social observation is the best guarantee for safety and social stability.

Courtesy of Trans_City Architecture and Urbanism

Each house has a fenced-in yard with storage and the possibility of a covered, outdoor workshop on the street side, as well as a private garden to the rear. Both of these design facets are intended to provide a spatial framework allowing increased self-sufficiency for the inhabitants and represent a connection back to the urban design principals of social-interconnectivity and individual self-sufficiency, which we believe provides the backbone for a socially sustainable settlement.

Courtesy of Trans_City Architecture and Urbanism

At their summits, the roofs have opposing, projecting eaves in order to provide each of the necessarily small rooms with cross ventilation; intelligently prefabricated hurricane straps protect against wind-damage for storms up and including category III.

Five Uruguay peacekeepers charged over Haiti assault

MONTEVIDEO: Five Uruguayan marines have been jailed here after being indicted for the sexual assault of a young Haitian man while they were serving as UN peacekeepers in Haiti, the supreme military court announced yesterday.

“The investigation was opened on Friday, immediately after their return to the country, and the military justice began proceedings and indicted them” late Sunday, said Marta Iturvide, a lawyer with the supreme military tribunal.

The scandal erupted earlier this month after video images taken with a cellphone circulated on the Internet showing the UN peacekeepers sexually assaulting an 18-year old Haitian man in the southern Haitian town of Port-Salut.

They were charged with disobeying orders and dereliction of duty. The first charge is punishable by four months to four years of prison, and the second by up to three years in prison.

The head of the supreme military tribunal, Julio Halty, said their commanding officer also has been placed under preventive detention.

“There is also an officer, the officer who led them, who has been put at the disposition of the acting judge,” Halty said on local television without identifying the man.

After the scandal broke out, the suspects were placed in custody in southern Haiti, and Uruguayan President Jose Mujica apologized publicly for “the outrage” and promised to punish those responsible.

On September 5, the defense ministry filed a criminal complaint with the Uruguayan civilian courts, and an investigation was opened in Haiti.

The UN mission in Haiti, MINUSTAH, expressed its regret over the incident and promised that the mission would provide for the medical care, and eventually material and financial support, for the victim.

The scandal has prompted protests outside the Uruguayan base at Port-Salut to demand the withdrawal of the UN forces.

Uruguay’s defence minister had earlier admitted that the incident had caused “a lot of damage” to the armed forces, which provide around 2,400 peacekeepers worldwide, mostly in Haiti and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Deployed since June 2004 under Brazilian leadership, the mission has troops from 18 countries, but most are from Latin America.

On Friday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the time had come to begin a gradual drawdown of the UN force, which grew from some 9,000 troops to 12,250 after a devastating earthquake January 12, 2010 left much of the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince in ruins.

AFP

Haitian lawmakers approve Gary Conille for PM - President reacts

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Sept 16 (Reuters) - Haitian lawmakers approved the nomination of a U.N. development expert to serve as prime minister on Friday, handing President Michel Martelly a tentative victory in his third attempt to install a new head of government in the earthquake-ravaged Caribbean nation.

The lower house of Parliament unanimously approved Martelly's designation of Garry Conille, 45, a medical doctor who had served as aide to former U.S. President Bill Clinton in the latter's role as special U.N. Haiti envoy.

Conille must still be approved by the Senate. But his approval in the lower house followed the rejection by Haitian lawmakers in June and August of two previous nominees for premier.

That blocked the formation of a new Haitian government for months after Martelly, a former pop star, took office with a promise to lift Haiti out of its misery and turn the poorest country in the America's into a Caribbean success story.

"I thank Parliament, particularly the lower house, for the confidence placed in me," Conille told Reuters after the Chamber of Deputies approved his selection by a vote of 89-0.

"My will is to accompany the president in his commitment to solve the problems facing the Haitian people and I'm ready to serve once the process is completed."

Haiti, known for decades of dictatorship, corruption and instability, faces a huge reconstruction task after last year's catastrophic earthquake and a cholera epidemic.

Both houses of Haiti's Parliament are dominated by senators and deputies whose parties fielded rival candidates to Martelly in a turbulent two-round presidential election that he finally won in a March run-off vote.

The rejection by lawmakers of previous picks for premier made by Martelly, who took office on May 14, have raised concerns among diplomats and donors who say Haiti desperately needs a stable working government to rebuild from the quake.

Some parliamentarians had raised questions about Conille's eligibility for the post because he spent years outside the country, working for the United Nations. Haiti's Constitution requires a candidate for prime minister to have spent five consecutive years in Haiti before taking up the post.

Lawmakers said Conille's residency was not an issue, however, since international treaties signed by Haiti allow nationals working for the U.N. to maintain their residency.

Approval of Conille's nomination in the Senate was expected to come next week.

Haitian authorities estimate the January 2010 earthquake killed more than 300,000 people and wrecked much of the capital, Port-au-Prince.

Pressing tasks for the new government include effectively fighting the cholera epidemic that has killed more than 6,000 people since October. It must also try to provide shelter for tens of thousands of earthquake survivors who are still living in makeshift tent camps vulnerable to hurricanes and floods.

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Martelly Reacts to Favorable Vote for Conille in Lower House

PRESIDENT MICHEL MARTELLY

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (defend.ht) - On Friday, President Michel Martelly called the nearly unanimous vote for the Prime Minister-designate, Garry Conille, in the lower house "a victory for Haiti."

"I was the visionary, the elected, the people chose me and I have made my choice," repeated the Head of State about the appointment of Dr. Conille which, he says in case of accession to the Prime Minister, will replace him in the spotlight of the media and conduct the policy of the nation.

According to Radio Kiskeya , the president appeared with Garry Conille, the Director General of the National Police, Mario Andresol, and the mayor of Delmas, Wilson Jeudy, when he indicated that the rounds of discussions he had with parliamentarians should lead to a positive vote in the Senate.

"The message of the Chamber of Deputies is very clear, there is an emergency and a population that expects to work and find answers to their needs," said Garry Conille.

The president and Conille will depart on Sunday for New York where he will speak at the 66th General Assembly of the United Nations.

Chief of Gang "Ti Blanc Pelé" Arrested

 (ENGLISH BELOW)

L’arrestation samedi à Dame-Marie de l’ancien puissant chef de gang de Simon Pelé, condamné en 2009 et évadé de prison depuis 2010, constitue le troisième gros coup de filet réalisé en une semaine, selon le porte-parole de la police, Frantz Lerebours, qui fait état d’une réduction progressive de la liste des bandits les plus recherchés.

Des éléments d’unités spécialisées de la Police Nationale ont mis fin samedi à une cavale longue de près deux ans en procédant à l’arrestation de l’ancien redoutable chef de gang William Baptiste alias « Ti Blanc », lors d’une opération menée à Dame-Marie, commune de la Grand’Anse (sud-ouest) où il s’était réfugié ces derniers mois.

Le porte-parole de la PNH, Frantz Lrebours, qui en a fait l’annonce, souligne que le repris de justice -appréhendé une première fois en 2007 avant d’être jugé- est le troisième gros poisson à tomber cette semaine dans les filets des forces de sécurité après Stanley Figaro (à ne pas confondre avec le confrère expatrié) et Mario Thermidor. Ils figuraient tous sur la liste des 25 bandits les plus recherchés.

Très impliqué dans les activités criminelles (assassinats et enlèvements), qui se multipliaient à Port-au-Prince en 2004 et 2005 dans le cadre de « l’opération Bagdad » ayant suivi la chute de Jean-Bertrand Aristide, « Ti Blanc » était le patron d’un puissant gang qui menait la vie dure à la population de Simon Pelé, un quartier populaire de la capitale.

En juillet 2009, un tribunal criminel présidé par le juge Carvès Jean l’avait condamné à 14 ans de réclusion pour association de malfaiteurs et vol à mains armées en compagnie de douze membres de sa bande spécialisée dans le kidnapping.

Mais, comme beaucoup d’autres détenus dangereux, William Baptiste s’était évadé du Pénitencier national, la prison civile de Port-au-Prince, lors du séisme dévastateur du 12 janvier 2010.

Se félicitant de cette capture, le commissaire Frantz Lerebours estime que d’autres caïds activement recherchés pourraient se trouver dans la région sud. Dans la foulée, il a exprimé la détermination de la police à ne pas laisser en liberté les individus impliqués dans le banditisme afin de garantir la tranquillité des citoyens.

L’insécurité criminelle a refait surface depuis quelque temps dans la capitale haïtienne, emportant des personnalités issues de plusieurs milieux. Source :  Radio Kiskeya

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Last Saturday, shortly before a visit of President Martelly to Dame Marie, specialized agents of the National Police of Haiti [UDMO and SWAT] have managed to capture, after two years on the run, the dangerous Chief of gang William Baptiste aka "Ti Blanc Pelé" when he prevailed in the past, to Simon-Pelé, a neighborhood of Cité Soleil].

Escaped from the penitentiary during the January 2010 earthquake, this powerful gang leader, had taken refuge, apparently there since last November in the southern region where he continued his criminal activities.

The Commissioner Frantz Lerebours Spokesperson of the PNH, reiterating the determination of the PNH to ensure the safety and tranquility of the citizens, clarified that William Baptiste, was on the list of the 25 most wanted criminals in Haiti and believes that other bosses (caïds) actively sought, could be in the region.

The senator Andris Riché (Grand Anse - Alternative) which confirms the news, believes that it is alleged to this individual numerous exactions of political activists in the region and its citizens. "...For several months we denounce his presence [...] it is a guy at can made ​​any acts in the area [...] is a good thing that he's locked up. This is not a small case, a guy which is linked with a set of case of kidnappings, assassinations, armed robbery etc... [...] he was a danger for the city...

I asked on several occasions his arrest, but they [the police] did not. Just now I heard they made a haul and they have captured it, I said it's fine and I hope this time they will put it in a safe place, to prevent it to made once again the disorder in the country. This individual is part of the bandits, who came to shoot my house, in the last elections [...] it's true that they are professionals and police in the area is not sufficient to act against them, because everyone was afraid of them. Today, it is thanks to the SWAT and UDMO that we have finally apprehended this individual..."

Minustah's filthy record in Haiti

• 
• • Yves Engler
  • guardian.co.uk, Sunday 11 September 2011 15.00 BST
  • Article history

Independent reports concur that the cholera outbreak that has killed 6,200 Haitians was caused by reckless sewage disposal by Minustah troops. Photograph: Ramon Espinosa/ AP/AP

How much is a Haitian life worth to the UN? Apparently, not even an apology.

On 6 August, a unit of the 12,000 member United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti (Minustah) based in the central plateau city of Hinche was caught dumping faeces and other waste in holes a few feet from a river where people bathe and drink. After complaints by locals and an investigation by journalists, city officials burned the waste near the Guayamouc river. The mayor of Hinche, André Renaud, criticised Minustah's flagrant disregard for the community's health and called for the expulsion of some foreign troops.

On 21 August, the UN was again accused of improper sewage disposal, 10 miles from Hinche.

As is their wont, Minustah officials simply deny dumping sewage. Last week, the UN released a statement claiming they had no reason to dump waste since the base in Hinche built a treatment plant and sewage disposal on 15 June.

"The United Nations Mission for Stabilisation in Haiti (Minustah) formally denies being responsible for the dumping of waste in Hinche or elsewhere in the territory of Haiti."

For anyone who has followed Minustah's operations this denial rings hollow. Ten months ago, reckless sewage disposal at the UN base near Mirebalais caused a devastating cholera outbreak (pdf). In October 2010, a new deployment of Nepalese troops brought the water-borne disease to Haiti that has left 6,200 dead and more than 438,000 ill.

The back story to this affair is that the waste company managing the base, Sanco Enterprises SA, disposed of faecal matter from the Nepalese troops in pits that seeped into the Artibonite River. Locals drank from the river, which is how the first Haitians became infected withcholera. Officials for the UN and the contractor have passed the blame back and forth: the former saying the contractor is responsible for the dump site; the latter saying the UN and a previous contractor established the "procedures" for waste management.

Despite a mountain of evidence collected from local and international researchers, the UN refuses to take responsibility for the cholera outbreak. A November investigation by prominent French epidemiologist, Renaud Piarroux, pointed to the Nepalese troops as the probable origin of the cholera strain, as did a study published by the journal of the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and an investigation by Nepalese, Danish and Americans researchers at the Translational Genomics Research Institute in Arizona. Released last Tuesday, the latter study showed that the genomes of bacteria from Haitian cholera patients were virtually identical with those found in Nepal when the peacekeepers left their country in 2010.

A week ago, Minustah spokesperson Vincenzo Pugliese said the international organisation was aware of the new study but maintained that "we follow the recommendations of the report released by the group of experts appointed by the secretary general." That report refused to pinpoint any single source for the cholera outbreak, concluding it was caused by a "confluence of circumstances".

The debate over cholera's origin takes places as the disease continues to ravage the country. In June, the beginning of the rainy season, there were a shocking 1,800 new cases per day.

Despite the ongoing impact of cholera and widespread anger at Minustah over the issue, the UN's sewage disposal has been of little interest to the international media. Recently, the weekly Haiti Liberté published a picture of a UN vehicle dumping sewage into a river on its front page, but an English-language Google search found no reports in the global press about the criticism towards the international organisation's waste disposal (aside from passing mentions in the leftist San Francisco Bay View and Truthdig).

Media indifference to the UN's lax health standards is mirrored in the aid world. Supposedly concerned with Haitian well-being, the innumerable foreign NGOs working in Haiti have said little about Minustah's waste disposal and disregard for public health. In fact, when the cholera outbreak began, various international humanitarian organisations belittled those calling for an investigation into its source.

A few weeks after the outbreak, Médecins Sans Frontières' head of mission in Port-au-Prince, Stefano Zannini, told Montreal daily La Presse, "Our position is pragmatic: to have learnt the source at the beginning of the epidemic would not have saved more lives. To know today would have no impact either." For their part, Oxfam criticised those who protested the UN bringing a disease with no recorded history in Haiti. "If the country explodes in violence, then we will not be able to reach the people we need to", an Oxfam spokeswoman, Julie Schindall, told the Guardian after the outbreak.

Rather than support calls for greater accountability, the NGOs jumped to the UN's defence. Highly dependent on western government funding and political support, NGOs are overwhelmingly focused on a charitable model that fails to challenge the political or economic structures that cause the poverty and illness they seek to cure. But without political pressure, the practices that engender poverty and illness will continue, a point driven home with the UN's waste disposal and cholera. With no oversight, let alone penalty, Minustah will continue to dispose of waste however it sees fit.

So, how many Haitians must die before Minustah stops its dumping of sewage, reckless of public health? Besides immediately halting this dangerous practice, the force should apologise for introducing cholera to Haiti. And to make that apology meaningful, the UN should compensate Haitians by making the country cholera-free through massive investments in the country's sanitation and sewage systems.

Prime Minister Designate Garry Conille submits papers - Opinions & Comments

Haitilibre 09/09/2011 09:02:37

Prime Minister-designate, Garry Conille, along with Garry Lissade, former Minister of Justice and Dr. Emile Herard, head of the Global Fund of the Sogebank Foundation and former Director General of the Department of Public Health, has made the submission of his documents, to the Office of the Lower House, who will deliver them to the Special Commission in charge to study them.

"As you know, the President designated me as the next Prime Minister, as the Constitution requires it I came to bring my documents, in order that these documents can be reviewed by the Parliament, that they can decide on my exigibility to be Prime Minister [...] You know my temperament, we gave all the documents, I think, we will kindly wait that the Parliament do its work, and hands over its findings..." declared Dr. Conille.

Concerning the challenges that await him, the candidate for Prime Minister's Office claims to be ready to enter the battle with conviction "...we are confident that we have a contribution that we can do, of course we are aware that this is something we can not do by ourselves and that we will need the support, the continued support of all parliamentarians and the President of the Republic, that I want to thank, because he chose me and he honored me with his confidence. We will need of the Civil Society, of private sector and all the forces of the country. I am aware that this is not a job I'm going to do for my own, my aspiration, my goal is simply to help bring everyone together to quickly resolve the practical problems currently faced by the country. [...] "

Mr. Conille was confident to take the step of Parliament "I would not be here if I did not have confidence."

Levaillant Louis Jeune, President of the Special Commission in charge to review the documents of the Prime Minister-designate declared "...Mr. Conille made the submission of his ocuments to the office of President of the Chamber of Deputies, as it starts to get late, the Commission took an appointment with the office of President so that tomorrow morning [Friday] it makes the transfer of the file to the Commission so that we can start working. [...] The first step is to take possession of original documents and then assign the tasks, make a copy of the file so that the original be entrusted to the office and get to work immediately... [...] We have no emergency, we want to do a proper job, we have no deadline, to deliver our work. Obviously, we will make efforts to have the report ready by the end of next week, but we have no pressure [...] society can trust us, we will examine the documents [authenticity and compliance] submitted and we will tell the nation what we found in these documents [...]"

In contrast to the G16, which advocates a political vote, Steven Benoît [Alternative], present at the submission of documents stated that the elected of his platform will vote for Dr. Conille if he meets the requirements of section 157 of the Constitution affirming his commitment to a technical vote for this first phase of ratification.

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Comments and opinions on the candidacy of Dr. Conille

The Prime Minister-designate, Dr. Garry Conille continues to generate multiple reactions. Mirlande Manigat, Me Gervais of the Bar Association of Port-au-Prince and the Deputy Fritz Chéry, President of Block "Gathering of parliamentarians for change" (RPC), to the lower house share their positions.

For Mirlande Hyppolite Manigat, former presidential candidate, "This is not the quantity of documents that will prove that the concerned meets all the requirements of the Constitution" Mirlande Manigat who is not aware of the documents submitted], is still convinced that Dr. Garry Conille does not meet the constitutional requirements cocerning the respect to the residence, or his tax obligations. According to her, "It is clear that Mr. Garry Conille has not resided in the country during the past five years in a consecutively manner", rejecting the thesis that he would be a diplomat "It is not a diplomat. We can not hold up in his favor the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations which grants certain privileges and immunities to these personalities. Those who refer to this convention, do not know of what they speak" Denouncing the position of some parliamentarians who are ready to vote for the choice of the Head of State, under the pretext that the country can not continue to operate without a government, she said that "The Haitian Constitution has many flaws, we must admit, but we must respect it"

Me Gervais Charles, President of the Bar Bar of Port-au-Prince displays a favorable position to the Prime Minister-designate, he does not believe that the choice of Dr. Conille, is choice forced, "...it is a choice that has perhaps been suggested, but I do not think that this choice has been imposed [...] I that think the choice of Dr. Garry Conille is much better than the two previous and I think that Garry Conille can truly be a unifier, so that all the Haitian people understand, that it has a future, that it must work together to arrive at what we want [...] Garry Conille has always behaved like a person of the majority [...]" Concerning Article 157, especially the aspect concerning the residence of the designated candidate, Me Gervais think that this "...will depend of the interpretation that the parliamentarians will make of Article 157, because it still depends of Parliament. My interpretation is that the Constitution does not provide all things, the Constitution does not provide the the case of ambassadors who work for Haiti and abroad, the Constitution does not provide the case of international civil servants. [...] Dr. Conille has a very strong link with Haiti [...] and I think he has his residence in Haiti and he never lost it. In my personal interpretation, the domicile of Dr. Conille is in Haiti, however, this should be decided by Parliament because it is one of its functions..."

The Deputy Fritz Chéry President of Block "Gathering of parliamentarians for change" (RPC), to the lower house, said he is confident that the Prime Minister-designate, be ratified by a majority of Deputies of RPC. He remains convinced, however, that behind this candidacy is hidden the invisible hand of the International "Taking into account the waves of rushed declaration sof some of my colleagues in favor of Dr. Conille, it is clear that decisions have already been arrested." On the question of the residence of Dr. Conille, the deputy Chéry said he did not have the skills to rule on this question, estimating that there seems a conflict between the Charter of the United Nations and the Haitian Constitution, he proposes to consult experts in international law on this aspect.  To conclude he said that "it is not enough to have a head full of knowledge to become Prime Minister, it is also necessary to have political experience and a knowledge of the reality..."

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Haiti - Politic : The Choice of a Prime Minister is a Haitian matter says OAS
  The Ambassador Albert R. Ramdin Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS) ended Saturday his 2 days visit in Haiti. During his visit, the Secretary General of the OAS met with President Martelly, some members of the international community, in addition to representatives of civil society "in fact, this visit is a regular visit to assess the situation after the electoral process. I think that a central point of discussion is the formation of a government in Haiti, we are very pleased to see that the President Martelly has designated his third candidate for the post of Prime Minister" has informed the Ambassador Ramdin, adding that "The decision to endorse the nomination of the Prime Minister is a decision which belongs to Parliament and the international community should respect that [...] of course the international community would like that there is a Prime Minister and a government in place as quickly as possible, in order to provide support to Haiti, but the international community has absolutely nothing to say about the choice and the ratification of a Prime Minister."

Concerning the new candidate for Prime Minister's Office, Albert R. Ramdin said "I do not know Mr. Conille personally, but we will work with any Prime Minister who has been designated by the Haitian authorities."

On the eve of his departure, Ambassador Ramdin, reiterated to the press, the willingness of the OAS and the international community to continue to provide technical and financial support to the people and to the institutions of the Haitian state. He also mentioned the projects financed by the OAS : the civil registry, cadastre and scholarship program launched in June.

Young Haitian Man Raped by Minustah

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Haiti anger over alleged Uruguay UN rape

Haitian President Michel Martelly has condemned the alleged abuse of an 18-year-old man by Uruguayan peacekeepers, and demanded a full investigation. Mr Martelly said the Haitian man had been subjected to a "collective rape". Five Uruguayan marines were detained after a video clip of the alleged abuse appeared on the internet, and their commanding officer was sacked.The Uruguayan government has said it will open a criminal case against the marines in a Uruguayan court. The UN mission in Haiti (Minustah) and the Haitian authorities are also investigating. Revulsion The case has provoked widespread public anger in Haiti, and there have been protests outside the UN base. "The presidency vigorously condemns this act, which revolts the conscience of the nation, and awaits a detailed report establishing the facts," Mr Martelly's office said in a statement. The alleged victim and his mother have told Haitian radio stations that he was raped by the Uruguayan marines in the UN base at Port Salut. They have also given evidence to Haitian police and a local judge. The UN mission in Haiti said it was taking the allegations "very seriously". "For now, we cannot say whether it was a case of rape or not," Minustah spokesperson Eliane Nabaa told Reuters news agency. "Only the investigation will determine that and the investigation is still underway," she said. In Uruguay, presidential spokesman Alberto Breccia said a criminal case would be brought by a Uruguayan court. "All cases of apparent crime by Uruguayan troops must be judged by national courts," he said. Uruguayan Defence Minister Eleuterio Fernandez Huidobro was due to brief parliament on the case on Tuesday. The video clip of the alleged incident, shot on a mobile phone, has been widely shown on Uruguayan television. Controversy Uruguay is one of the main contributors to the 12,000-strong UN force, which first arrived in Haiti in 2004. The peacekeepers were brought in to restore order following the overthrow of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, and its mandate was extended after the devastating earthquake in January 2010. But Minustah has also drawn controversy, including allegations of excessive use of force. Last year there were widespread protests after Nepalese peacekeepers were accused of being the source of a cholera epidemic which has killed more than 6,000 Haitians. President Martelly has acknowledged that Haiti still needs the peacekeepers, but wants their security role reduced and eventually replaced by a Haitian force. He is still struggling to form a government, five months after winning power in a UN-backed election.

UNEDITED RAPE VIDEO [Warning: graphic content] hn.

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The images have generated outrage on the internet. This is not the first MINUSTAH scandal; 6,000 died from a cholera epidemic brought to Haiti by Nepalese peace keepers from the UN force. Réseau National de Défense des Droits Humains (RNDDH), a local human rights organisation, has published a report on the alleged rape case, recommending the UN provide reparations for this and other mishaps in Haiti. It also demands further investigation into yet another controversy for the United Nations force: minors in Port-Salut allegedly pregnant by peacekeeping staff at the base. Journalists and bloggers such as Etant Dupain (@gaetantguevara) and Ansel Herz and Uruguyan televison [es] have since dug up details on children born to underage Haitian women and Uruguyan men. Journalist Ansel Herz, who blogs at mediahacker, has published an interview with the two local youths who leaked the video to the Haitian press. One of them stumbled upon it on a peacekeeper’s phone while trying to transfer a song and captured the video via Bluetooth after recognising that the victim was his cousin. He has now received what he believes to be threats by night visitors to his home, according to [fr] Haiti Press Network. Haitian President Michel Martelly has condemned [fr] the case, saying the reprehensible act “shocks the national conscience”. Uruguay’s president has offered an official apology [fr,es] to the Haitian people, citing Haiti’s historic contribution to the independence struggles of many Latin American countries. The President and the Minister of Defence of Uruguay say they are speaking on behalf of their noble, hospitable and supportive people which recognises in Haiti a sister nation who expressed its solidarity during the struggle for independence of Latin American countries. The chief of the Uruguayan UN contingent and the four suspects have been repatriated and are due to be tried in the Uruguayan courts.

UN Peacekeeper Commander Letter to Haitian People Regretting Rape

MAJOR GENERAL LUIS RAMOS PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (defend.ht) - The Commander of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), Major General Luiz Ramos, has written a letter to the Haitian people regarding the incidents of rape in Port-Salut. As commander of the military forces of the United Nations Mission for Stabilization in Haiti, I want to express my sincere regret for the unfortunate events caused by a small number of soldiers of MINUSTAH in Port-Salut. Also I want to assure you that if the allegations against those involved are justified, they will be treated most severely. You have my assurance that we will continue to investigate allegations of misconduct, and we will take immediate action when necessary, and that any wrongdoing will be punished. As Commander of the military component of MINUSTAH, I expect all soldiers under my command to comply strictly with the ethical principles of the UN, our Code of Conduct, and that these principles be their moral guide. It is very unfortunate that the bad actions of a few tarnish the many good works of many others. Every day, the vast majority of staff of the MINUSTAH is working to display a high level of professionalism and discipline, and build good relations with the Haitian people. We are guests in your country. You have my word as Force Commander, which I will spare no effort to continue to demand full respect and consideration, by his words and his actions on the part of our military personnel to the people Haiti. Related Story Five Uruguay peacekeepers charged over Haiti assault

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