Top UN envoy urges dialogue as tensions arise from arrest of Haitian lawmaker
Publisher | UN News Service |
Publication Date | 28 October 2011 |
Cite as | UN News Service, Top UN envoy urges dialogue as tensions arise from arrest of Haitian lawmaker, 28 October 2011, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4eb27b3b2.html [accessed 29 May 2023] |
Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Arnel Bélizaire, a member of Parliament, was reportedly arrested after police spotted his name on a list of inmates who escaped on the day of the deadly earthquake in January 2010. He was taken into custody after arriving in the capital, Port-au-Prince, on a flight from France.
The Secretary-General's Special Representative and head of the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), Mariano Fernández, said the tension caused by this incident is "harmful" to the country's best interests.
It may also hinder the implementation of Government programmes to the detriment of the Haitian population who is impatient to see the promises made by elected officials fulfilled, he added in a news release.
To preserve an environment conducive to strengthening democracy and the rule of law, the Special Representative encouraged dialogue, and invited authorities to clarify the legal process, consistent with the constitution, which led to Mr. Bélizaire's arrest.
The new Government was inaugurated just last week and MINUSTAH has called on all parties to unite to carry out the necessary measures to rebuild a new Haiti, fully respectful of democratic values.