CARICOM FAILS AGAIN! by Roger Milceus
Posted: Sun Jun 06, 2004 9:02 am
CARICOM FAILS AGAIN!
It is extremely difficult for the CARICOM folks to get any traction on their attempt to investigate the events surrounding the resignation of Jean-Bertrand Aristide on February 29, 2004.
After failing to secure any support from the United Nations, the "righteous Aristide Army" thought that it would receive a more sympathetic treatment from the OAS. With Luigi Einaudi aka "Aristide's tchoul" well connected at the OAS, it should have been a cinch to get that body to launch its own investigation and hopefully uncover the conspiracy that drove Aristide out of power against his will.
Alas! This was not meant to be. Anyone who followed the debate live on May 27 on the Internet (isn't technology a beautiful thing?) would have learned the following:
1. CARICOM introduced a draft resolution calling for the application of Article 20 of
he Democratic Charter and for an investigation about the departure of Aristide WITHOUT sending, as a matter of diplomatic courtesy, a copy of the resolution to the Representative of Haiti, Mr. Duly Brutus.
2. Mr. Duly Brutus then introduced his own resolution, asking the Legal Department of the OAS to determine whether the OAS had any standing in acting on a procedure (the CARICOM request) that had already been rejected at the UN level. The Mexico representative, who chaired the session, asked for a recess so that the OAS lawyers could study the matter. Their conclusion was that, indeed, the OAS could NOT revisit an issue that had already been decided by the UN. Furthermore, UN resolution 1529 had basically established that Aristide had resigned and that Boniface Alexandre was the constitutional interim president of the country.
So here were our good ol' CARICOM folks "se retrouvant Gros Jean comme devant". The brains of 14 countries conspiring to make the life of their poor brethren, Haiti,
even more difficult had been outwitted by the Haiti representative fighting a lonely battle.
It seems that the doors have closed on that doomed mission. Of course, CARICOM will say that there is still the June 6-8 meeting in Ecuador where the issue will be brought up to the General Assembly. Not so fast! An article written in the online edition of the Dominican newspaper HOY (www.hoy.com.do) explains how little impact any such attempt by CARICOM will have:
"... La aplicación de la Carta Democrática Interamericana en Haití, especialmente su artículo 20, que implica una suerte de auditoría de la OEA sobre el proceso democrático, es también "un tema que se va a debatir" en la asamblea general de manera formal o informal, estimó el embajador peruano.
El proyecto de resolución que pide la aplicación de la Carta Democrática, impulsado por los países de la Comunidad del Caribe (Caricom), no fue aprobado sin embargo por el Consejo permanente de la OEA a raíz de la oposición de Estados Unidos
y de la representación de Haití.
Por eso el tema no puede ser debatido formalmente por los cancilleres, aunque durante la asamblea cualquier país puede tratar de incluir el tema en la agenda, dijeron fuentes de la OEA.
"Estamos en vías de (lograr) un texto consolidado" sobre Haití, dijo a la AFP el embajador paraguayo ante la OEA, Luis Enrique Chase Plate. "
For those of you who do not understand Spanish, the four paragraphs above state in essence that the application of the Democratic Charter to Haiti MAY be discussed formally or informally at the meeting. Since the draft resolution presented by CARICOM on May 27 was not adopted by the Permanent Council of the OAS, this topic cannot be discussed formally at the General Assembly. However, any country may try to include it on the agenda. Finally, the Ambassador of Paraguay to the OAS believes that there will be a consolidated statement on Haiti and nothing else.
If it really wants to be a thorn in the side of a Haiti that was comp
letely pillaged and sucked dry by Aristide and his cronies and is still reeling from devastating floods, then CARICOM will have to try much harder next time. Despite their claims of sophistication and their continuous __expression of superiority over us, poor and uneducated country bumpkins, the little procedural lesson that Brutus taught them shows that they need some sharper lawyers or diplomats or both. Speaking of which, why hasn't Antigua and Barbuda yet replaced Dr. Patrick Henry at the OAS? Isn't Antigua heading CARICOM? Yet they leave such an important post vacant?
I also find interesting, and very revealing, that it is only now that CARICOM would choose to invoke the Democratic Charter. When things were going very badly in Haiti last year, when Aristide had in effect used his power to eliminate almost all forms of democracy, it is that same CARICOM body that protected Aristide from the threat of other countries invoking that same Charter to Haiti. We should never forget that CARICOM's acti
ons actually encouraged Aristide to become even more of a tyrant because he thought he could get away with murder, which he did. We should never forget the role the Bahamas played in protecting Aristide.
A la revoyure.
Roger Milceus
It is extremely difficult for the CARICOM folks to get any traction on their attempt to investigate the events surrounding the resignation of Jean-Bertrand Aristide on February 29, 2004.
After failing to secure any support from the United Nations, the "righteous Aristide Army" thought that it would receive a more sympathetic treatment from the OAS. With Luigi Einaudi aka "Aristide's tchoul" well connected at the OAS, it should have been a cinch to get that body to launch its own investigation and hopefully uncover the conspiracy that drove Aristide out of power against his will.
Alas! This was not meant to be. Anyone who followed the debate live on May 27 on the Internet (isn't technology a beautiful thing?) would have learned the following:
1. CARICOM introduced a draft resolution calling for the application of Article 20 of
he Democratic Charter and for an investigation about the departure of Aristide WITHOUT sending, as a matter of diplomatic courtesy, a copy of the resolution to the Representative of Haiti, Mr. Duly Brutus.
2. Mr. Duly Brutus then introduced his own resolution, asking the Legal Department of the OAS to determine whether the OAS had any standing in acting on a procedure (the CARICOM request) that had already been rejected at the UN level. The Mexico representative, who chaired the session, asked for a recess so that the OAS lawyers could study the matter. Their conclusion was that, indeed, the OAS could NOT revisit an issue that had already been decided by the UN. Furthermore, UN resolution 1529 had basically established that Aristide had resigned and that Boniface Alexandre was the constitutional interim president of the country.
So here were our good ol' CARICOM folks "se retrouvant Gros Jean comme devant". The brains of 14 countries conspiring to make the life of their poor brethren, Haiti,
even more difficult had been outwitted by the Haiti representative fighting a lonely battle.
It seems that the doors have closed on that doomed mission. Of course, CARICOM will say that there is still the June 6-8 meeting in Ecuador where the issue will be brought up to the General Assembly. Not so fast! An article written in the online edition of the Dominican newspaper HOY (www.hoy.com.do) explains how little impact any such attempt by CARICOM will have:
"... La aplicación de la Carta Democrática Interamericana en Haití, especialmente su artículo 20, que implica una suerte de auditoría de la OEA sobre el proceso democrático, es también "un tema que se va a debatir" en la asamblea general de manera formal o informal, estimó el embajador peruano.
El proyecto de resolución que pide la aplicación de la Carta Democrática, impulsado por los países de la Comunidad del Caribe (Caricom), no fue aprobado sin embargo por el Consejo permanente de la OEA a raíz de la oposición de Estados Unidos
y de la representación de Haití.
Por eso el tema no puede ser debatido formalmente por los cancilleres, aunque durante la asamblea cualquier país puede tratar de incluir el tema en la agenda, dijeron fuentes de la OEA.
"Estamos en vías de (lograr) un texto consolidado" sobre Haití, dijo a la AFP el embajador paraguayo ante la OEA, Luis Enrique Chase Plate. "
For those of you who do not understand Spanish, the four paragraphs above state in essence that the application of the Democratic Charter to Haiti MAY be discussed formally or informally at the meeting. Since the draft resolution presented by CARICOM on May 27 was not adopted by the Permanent Council of the OAS, this topic cannot be discussed formally at the General Assembly. However, any country may try to include it on the agenda. Finally, the Ambassador of Paraguay to the OAS believes that there will be a consolidated statement on Haiti and nothing else.
If it really wants to be a thorn in the side of a Haiti that was comp
letely pillaged and sucked dry by Aristide and his cronies and is still reeling from devastating floods, then CARICOM will have to try much harder next time. Despite their claims of sophistication and their continuous __expression of superiority over us, poor and uneducated country bumpkins, the little procedural lesson that Brutus taught them shows that they need some sharper lawyers or diplomats or both. Speaking of which, why hasn't Antigua and Barbuda yet replaced Dr. Patrick Henry at the OAS? Isn't Antigua heading CARICOM? Yet they leave such an important post vacant?
I also find interesting, and very revealing, that it is only now that CARICOM would choose to invoke the Democratic Charter. When things were going very badly in Haiti last year, when Aristide had in effect used his power to eliminate almost all forms of democracy, it is that same CARICOM body that protected Aristide from the threat of other countries invoking that same Charter to Haiti. We should never forget that CARICOM's acti
ons actually encouraged Aristide to become even more of a tyrant because he thought he could get away with murder, which he did. We should never forget the role the Bahamas played in protecting Aristide.
A la revoyure.
Roger Milceus