Attaining democracy: a 'lengthy and difficult task.' (Haiti)

Steps continued to be taken towards the resumption of the democratic process in Haiti, with the confirmation of a new Prime Minister and the authorization of the UN Mission in Haiti (UNMIH) to help implement the 3 July Agreement signed at Governors island in New York.

Under that accord, the international community is to provide Haiti with assistance for modernizing its Armed Forces and establishing a new Police Force, and technical and financial support for development and administrative and judicial reform, following dialogue aimed at a political truce a creation of conditions for a peaceful transition.

The Agreement specified that a Prime Minister be nominated and confirmed before the scheduled return to Haiti on 30 October of its first democratically-elected President, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who was ousted in a September 1991 coup. it also called for the retirement of Lieutenant-General Raoul Cedras as Commander-in-Chief of the Haitian Armed Forces.

The dialogue between the political forces and parliamentary blocs was held at UN Headquarters from 14 to 16 July.

That meeting resulted in the signing of the "New York Pact" which, among other things, provided for a six-month political truce to enable the normalization of the Parliament and for agreements to confirm the Prime Minister.

On 22 and 28 July, a few bureau was elected in the Haitian Chamber of Deputies, and, on 10 August, in the Senate. The new prime Minister, Robert Malval, was confirmed and assumed office on 31 August.

The Security Council, in unanimously adopting resolution 861 (1993) on 27 August, suspended the oil and arms embargo against Haiti. However, the sanctions were reimposed under resolution 873 (1993) of 13 October and tightened three days later in resolution 875 (1993), after the Haitian military authorities, according to the Secretary-General, were found to be in "serious and consistent noncompliance" with tyie Governors Island Agreement.

"Getting democracy and economic development under way in Haiti will be a lengthy and difficult task", Dante Caputo, Special Envoy for Haiti of the Secretaries-general of the UN and the Organization of American States OAS), stated on 23 September, "Reality cannot be changed with the Wave of a wand; democracy is not built in a matter of days. It takes years; well-being is achieved only after prolonged effort."

Resolution 867:

UNMIH established

The establishment and immediate dispatch of UNMIH for a period of six months was...