"Very disturbed" Powell says Aristide should accept Haitian church plan

Friday, January 9, 2004

WASHINGTON, USA (AFP): US Secretary of State of Colin Powell said Thursday he was "very disturbed" by the deteriorating situation in Haiti and pressed President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to accept a church proposal on resolving the nation's political crisis.

"I am very disturbed about the situation in Haiti," Powell told reporters at a State Department news conference as the threat of anarchy in the impoverished Caribbean republic mounted amid growing unrest.

He threw Washington's backing behind a plan, presented by the country's Episcopal Conference of Haitian Bishops in November, that would set up a special committee to advise Aristide and guide the country to new elections.

"We are at present pressing President Aristide to take the opportunity presented by the bishops' proposal that would bring some order to the political process and provide a constitutional way forward so that the people of Haiti can express their will," Powell said.

"We are encouraging President Aristide and the opposition to take advantage of the bishops' proposal," he said, adding that the subject was sure to raised at next week's special Summit of the Americas in Mexico.

The church proposal calls for a congressional session this month to name a nine-member council to advise the president and meant to represent different groups in society, ahead of setting up a "consensus electoral council."

Aristide, a former priest, himself has urged his political rivals to adopt the compromise who have yet to agree to the settlement.

The opposition has accused Aristide of corruption and mismanagement, demanding that he stand down. Aristide, who still has two years of his five-year term to serve, has refused.

The Haitian capital has seen mounting tension in recent months as the campaign against Aristide has gathered momentum.

The unrest overshadowed celebrations on January 1 of the 200th anniversary of Haiti's independence from France. 

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