22271: Esser: Major Caricom OAS Challenge (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: D. Esser torx@joimail.com

The Nation [Barbados}
http://www.nationnews.com

June 4, 2004

Our Caribbean

Major Caricom OAS Challenge
by Rickey Singh

NEXT WEEK’S General Assembly of the Organisation of American States
(OAS) in Quito, Ecuador, will be quite challenging for the Caribbean
Community (CARICOM) and other member states of the hemispheric body
on the critical issue of constitutional governance and democracy.

How committed are the 34 countries of the OAS – where Cuba’s seat has
remained vacant for some 42 years – to the Inter-American Democratic
Charter will be put to the test as it relates to the political crisis
situation in Haiti.

That is, if the CARICOM bloc of states succeeds in getting on the
agenda a draft resolution to assess the political situation in Haiti
in the context of the Democratic Charter. Earlier efforts by CARICOM
– made somewhat more problematic by a surprising vacillation by two
of its members – have been frustrated by the expediency of language
and procedures.

Mark that down largely to the overt and covert pressures of the
United States, which remains adamantly opposed to any independent
assessment of how the presidency of Jean-Bertrand Aristide suddenly
terminated on February 29, as if the Washington administration really
has skeletons in its Haitian cupboard.

The broader concern is also to examine the existing political climate
and efforts by the Washington-created interim regime in
Port-au-Prince for a speedy return to constitutional governance based
on competitive and internationally supervised elections

It needs to be borne in mind that CARICOM’s concern for
constitutional governance in Haiti should not be viewed as defence of
the Aristide presidency, or any of the allegations pertaining to
financial corruption, assassinations and political thuggery.

CARICOM governments had made clear from the beginning of their call
for an independent probe into the circumstances of Aristide’s
departure from power, that Haiti remains a member of the community,
and that practical efforts would continue to be made to help secure
and provide relevant assistance to the Haitian people for whose
welfare they remain committed.

The fundamental difference relates to non-recognition of the interim
regime in Port-au-Prince and, by extension, its non-involvement in
the councils of CARICOM, until there could be some positive
arrangements for the modalities of a working relationship that
includes an assessment of the crucial issue of constitutional
governance.

It is rather instructive that the George Bush administration and the
interim Haitian regime of the loquacious Gerard Latortue – who has
been rather dismissive of CARICOM and anxious to embrace armed rebels
as “freedom fighters” – should be so intent in frustrating any effort
for an independent probe into the circumstances of Aristide’s
departure from power; even the modified approach to invoke Article 20
of the OAS Democratic Charter on interruption of constitutional
goverance.

Article 20 states: “In the event of an unconstitutional alteration of
the constitutional regime that seriously impairs the democratic order
in a member state, any member state or the OAS Secretary General may
request the immediate convocation of the Permanent Council to
undertake a collective assessment of the situation and to take such
decisions as it deems appropriate.”

That is exactly what CARICOM has so far been frustrated in achieving
within the councils of the OAS Permanent Council. Hence, the effort
to extend the initiative to next week’s three-day General Assembly
that begins on Sunday in Quito.

There, not only all community partners must stand up and be counted –
in testing the letter and spirit of Article 20 of the Democratic
Charter. So too must those Latin American states that have expressed
their own concerns about the implications of a legitimate government
being interrupted by armed rebellion and lawlessness.
.