Préval presses Clinton on Haiti elections

Washington DC, March 10, 2010 (The Hindu) - Haitian President René Préval on Tuesday underscored, in discussions with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that the United States must work with Haiti towards elections if the efforts to build it up again after the devastating January 12 earthquake are to succeed.

In a joint statement issued here Ms. Clinton said, “President Préval made the very important point that we must work toward elections to ensure the stability and legitimacy of the Haitian Government”. In a sign that no clear agreement was reached on the time frame or conditions for holding elections Ms. Clinton added that the U.S. would work with the international community to hold elections “as soon as appropriate”.

Haiti has a history of political instability, including dictatorships, coups and revolts and has also suffered the effects of external influence particularly originating from the United States. Since 2004 it has been occupied by the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).

Touching upon the contribution of the U.S. to ongoing relief efforts Ms. Clinton explained that the U.S. alone had already supplied nearly $700 million in assistance, funds contributed from nearly 50 percent of all households in America. Further the major donors conference in New York on March 31st would also likely raise financial commitments towards funding the reconstruction efforts.

President Préval acknowledged the long-term support his country obtained from the U.S.; however he cautioned: “We must work together to ensure… conditions that will allow the recovery of Haiti. And all of these conditions have to be worked upon – not just the immediate short-term needs but we must also work towards the long term [including] good governance…”

Touching on specific challenged in Haiti at this time Mr. Préval said that in the past “everything had been concentrated and focused on the capital”. He, argued that that was where the political and economic elites of the country lived, and the rest of the country was neglected.

“That’s why so many people came… into Port-au-Prince – in the illusory quest for work that did not exist, and that is why there’s so much shoddy construction, which does not comply with standards, and that’s why there were so many casualties”, Mr. Préval said

Returning to a key concern, Mr. Préval said, “But what we must absolutely avoid is that we have a temporary provisional government that does not enjoy legitimacy”. Haiti must have a government that does have political legitimacy, he added.