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Haiti opposition still not impressed The man regarded as the leader of Haiti's opposition movement has said he is not impressed by commitments given by the Haitian President Jean Bertrand Aristide over the weekend. In a meeting with the Bahamian Prime Minister Perry Christie on Sunday, President Aristide gave a number of concessions towards ending the confrontations in the country. But Haitian opposition spokesman Andy Apaid told BBC Caribbean Service that in the past, President Aristide ignored several resolutions and even reneged on an eight-point agreement he made with former President Bill Clinton. "The problem we have is that Mr Aristide suffered a deficit of legitimacy upon his installation three years ago. The elections were unacceptable, and what we've been asking for for three years, Caricom is now coming after major violations of human rights." Apaid said they made it clear to the Caricom leaders that they had a problem of credibility in Haiti, mainly because the regional grouping endorsed the election process which brought President Aristide back to power in 2000. Many opposition figures still question the legitimacy of this poll. The opposition spokesman also met with Prime Minister Christie on Sunday and he said that Caricom's new approach to the Haitian situation was welcome. "Mr Christie came with brand new eyes, a new leadership approach from Caricom and we told him 'you are now coming in a good way to see what's going on but you need to take a position on the violation of human rights because most people perceive you to be on one side'". Prime Minister Christie told BBC Caribbean Service that he met with Mr Apaid to let him know that Caricom was interested in promoting democratic change in Haiti. "We wanted him to hear our views first hand, and that we were not tied or committed to the preservation of any political person or party in office," Mr Christie said. The Bahamian leader said that Apaid and his colleagues must begin to make some concessions and begin to have some confidence in Caricom if any solution must be reached. "Their disbelief will not take them where they want to go," Prime Minister Christie said. "If we are able to work with the cooperation of President Aristide to implement reforms only then will we be able to demonstrate meaningful change and get the commitment of the opposition." |
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