Original: French
The Socialist International Committee for Latin America and the Caribbean, SICLAC, meeting in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, on 19-20 July 2002,
1. Condemns the serious violations of the principles of the rule of law reported in Haiti. Specifically, SICLAC is concerned by:
- the absence of justice in the cases of the murdered journalists, such as Joan Dominique in April 2000 and Brignol Lindor in December 2001;
- the physical and psychological maltreatment inflicted on the journalist Jacky Cantave taken by armed civilians in the night of 15 July 2002;
- the intolerable action of "armed bandits" against the family of Jean-Claude Bajeux, a human rights' worker, during the day of 16 July 2002;
2. It protests against the acts of violence committed in Haiti on 17 December 2001; the fire at the opposition political parties' headquarters, as well as at the personal residences of leaders of the opposition, among them that of Victor Benoît and of Gérard Pierre-Charles, members of the Socialist International, as well as anonymous attacks at the National Assembly.
3. It calls on the Lavalas regime, President Jean Bertrand Aristide, as well as on the opposition parties (Democratic Convergence), to negotiate as quickly as possible a real political Accord, with a sense of compromise, and in conformity with resolutions 806 and 1841 of the OAS so allowing Haiti to come out of this crisis by means of pluralist and democratic elections.
4. It encourages its member parties, KONAKOM, PANPRA and OPL, to strengthen their unified strategy under the banner of social democracy: an indispensable condition in playing a positive role in the process of democratisation of Haiti.