a1556: BBC: Haiti: Southern branch of Convergence seeks overthrow of Lavalas before 2004 (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Robert Benodin <r.benodin@worldnet.att.net>

Haiti: Southern branch of Convergence seeks overthrow of Lavalas before 2004
BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Apr 2, 2002


The southern branch of the Democratic Convergence met in the south of the
country during the weekend [30-31 March] to call for a general mobilization
against the Lavalas regime. This gathering by local leaders of the
Convergence in the South [Department] took place in a calm atmosphere
without any major incident.
By the way, a parallel demonstration, which had been due to be held by the
Lavalas sector, did not manage to be staged, according to a live report from
Les Cayes by Rigobert Rameau:
[Rameau] It was under heavy police security that the gathering of the
southern branch of the Convergence took place on Saturday 30 March, in the
private garden of [former Deputy] Jean Gabriel Fortune in the Dextra house
at about a kilometre from the city of Les Cayes. A few hundred partisans and
supporters of this political group, who came from the 18 communes of the
South Department, congratulated members of the Haitian National Police [PNH]
who, they say, undertook their responsibilities by guaranteeing the security
of all those who took part in the gathering.
The opposition militants in the South took the opportunity to draw up a
negative assessment of the Lavalas regime and point out acts of brigandage
being perpetrated by Lavalas people's organizations in the country and by
some Lavalas officials who have turned into former Volunteers for National
Security [VSN, a militia organized by former President Francois Duvalier on
29 July 1959 and officially dissolved after the overthrow of Jean-Claude
Duvalier in February 1986] to terrorize the people.
[Rameau] Fortune, one of the main leaders of the Convergence in the South,
said that this gathering is a sign that clearly shows that the fight for the
overthrow of the Lavalas regime is making progress everywhere in the
country.
[Fortune] [Words indistinct] in the country to gather all these citizens
here to say no to the Lavalas regime. All those who thought that there was
no hope now have much hope for this country. This hope is the continuation
of the work until we overthrow the Lavalas regime. We say down with
Jean-Bertrand Aristide, because he admitted as early as 1 March that he has
been totally incapable of leading. Therefore, we are inviting you to applaud
until Aristide leaves this country.
[Rameau] Nevertheless, the Convergence does not rule out the possibility of
participating in the next elections. Joseph Robert Jeune is the spokesman
for the Struggling People's Organization [OPL].
[Jeune] As members of political parties, as people who have taken the
responsibility of carrying out development among the people, we need to win
power through elections. We need to prepare elections, proper elections as
from today. We do not have to be afraid. Aristide does not have any other
possibility of seizing elections again. We shall take part no matter when
they are held.
[Rameau] The southern branch of the Convergence calls on Haitian young
people to take part in the battle it says it is waging for the overthrow of
the Lavalas regime before the year 2004. Contrary to what was previously
announced members of Lavalas people's organizations did not demonstrate in
the streets of Les Cayes on Saturday 30 March.
Source: Signal FM Radio, Port-au-Prince, in Creole 1230 gmt 2 Apr 02
/BBC Monitoring/ © BBC.