Haitian politicians who attended a three-day meeting in Jamaica to discuss possible solutions for Haiti's political crisis expressed disappointment that the gathering failed to produce some hoped-for results.
"I'm ashamed, it's a deception, in my view, to be going back home (like this). I came here certain that we'd find a solution," former Haitian lawmaker Antoine Arondon Bien-Aime told VOA about the meeting hosted by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), which ended late Tuesday.
The meeting was hosted by CARICOM’s Eminent Persons Group, which includes former Bahamas Prime Minister Perry Christie, former Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding and former St. Lucia Prime Minister Kenny Anthony. Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry and Foreign Minister Jean Victor Geneus also participated.
Discussions, called the Kingston Talks, were held at the Jamaican Foreign Ministry headquarters and were closed to the press.
Raphael Andre of the Patriotic Movement of the Democratic Opposition party, known as MOPOD, told VOA the major point of contention was who should lead Haiti.
"The group was examining the best formula for a solution. They wanted to adhere to the constitution, which says we must have a president, a prime minister and a Cabinet of ministers governing the country," he said.
The opposing sides insisted on a single executive — a president.
"So there was no agreement," Raphael Andre said.
Since the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in July 2021, Haiti has been in the throes of political and economic crises. The country has been without any elected representatives since early January, and last held a presidential vote in 2016.
In his first public comment about the Jamaica gathering Wednesday, Prime Minister Henry said on Twitter that the dialogue would continue soon in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, with participation of more political actors and stakeholders, including the High Council of Transition.
"The group of Eminent Personalities remain mobilized and should be coming to Port-au-Prince soon to meet the HCT and a larger group of Haitian actors who could not be in Jamaica to continue their facilitation," Henry tweeted.
On Sunday, Golding, the former prime minister of Jamaica and, member of the Eminent Persons Group, told the Jamaica Observer that CARICOM plans “to travel to Haiti for further discussions with an even wider group of stakeholders, and to build on those areas of agreement that we hope will emerge from the Kingston talks. ... We are not closing our eyes or closing our ears to any voice that we feel can help to arrive at a lasting solution to the problems that Haiti is experiencing.”
Haitian opposition politician Michel Andre, no relation to Raphael Andre, praised Henry's participation in the discussions.
"Prime Minister Ariel Henry made an extraordinary effort and proposed a very clear consensus — he proposed an inclusive national unity government — so to construct a government that can reassure everyone, all political sectors. He took a huge risk (doing so) because he did that without even speaking to the other signatories of the December 21 Accord," Michel Andre said.
The December 21 Accord is an agreement between Henry and a coalition of opposition politicians, civil society and members of the business sector that establishes the framework for a transitional government that would organize elections.
Henry also agreed to add two additional members to Haiti's High Council of Transition, which has been charged with ensuring that long-awaited general elections are held.
According to Michel Andre, a third "concession" was to allow CARICOM to oversee the implementation of everything agreed upon.
"Unfortunately, once again we were faced with the [opposing] groups' intransigence," Andre said.
Former Haitian lawmaker Edmonde Beauzile had a positive outlook.
"I think this (discussion) in Jamaica was a positive thing. But I regret that we Haitians are restarting the dialogue process in Jamaica," she told VOA.
Beauzile said since many political groups were not represented at the meeting, it was difficult to agree to the proposals.
In April, the United Nations released a report in which it estimated that gangs control up to 80% of Port-au-Prince. It also reported that 840 people were killed from January to March 31 of this year, an increase of more than 20% compared with the last quarter of 2022, and 637 kidnappings have been reported so far this year, an increase of 63% compared with the last three months of 2022.
In addition to the political turmoil in Haiti, just last week, a moderate earthquake shook western Haiti, killing at least three people and injuring others, according to media reports, as the island nation battled to recover from flooding that killed 42 over the previous weekend.
Some material for this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters.
