RESOLUTION ON HAITI
Original: Spanish
The Council of the Socialist International meeting in Brussels on 10-11 April 2000, expresses its profound concern at the lack of progress in restoring and strengthening democracy in Haiti.
The dissolution of the parliament by decree of President René Preval and the systematic postponement of parliamentary elections with the aim of making them coincide with presidential elections, indicates a distortion of the democratic, constitutional spirit and, at the same time, represents a step backward in the efforts of the United Nations and the international community that was compelled to use force to remove the former military dictatorship and to restore the freely elected government of former priest Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
It is the responsibility of President René Preval as head of the executive to provide guarantees to the Supreme Electoral Council for the holding of separate parliamentary elections, as called for by the Constitution and the opposition political parties.
At the same time, the Socialist International deplores the recent killings that have taken place in Haiti and calls upon the government to investigate these terrible crimes and bring the perpetrators to justice.