By Evens Sanon
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti
(AP) — President Jovenel Moise
broke his silence Tuesday and
said it would be irresponsible
for him to resign amid Haiti’s
unrest, which has entered a
fifth week of deadly protests
that have paralyzed the economy
and shuttered schools.
Moise said during a surprise
news conference at the National
Palace that he was constitutionally
elected and would
relinquish power only through
a legal process like elections.
His speech was directed in
part at thousands of protesters
angry over corruption, inflation
that has hit nearly 20%
and the dwindling of basic
supplies including gasoline.
Joining the call for the president’s
resignation are business
groups, church leaders and
human rights organizations.
Moise reiterated that he is
open to any negotiations leading
to a peaceful resolution of
the political crisis, saying that
the opposition should agree to
a dialogue with his government
to address the country’s
problems.
“However long it takes, I am
ready for dialogue. We don’t
want to have another 1986,”
Moise said, referring to the
year that then President Jean-
Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier
fled Haiti following lengthy
demonstrations against his
regime.
During his speech, Moise
said Haiti is “worse off” than
it was from 2004 to 2015, the
years following the ouster of
President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
Opposition leaders immediately
rejected Moise’s bid for
talks, saying his offer was “not
credible” as they called for
more street protests to force
his resignation.
Moise spoke on the day that
the U.N.’s Mission for Justice
Support in Haiti ended
its mandate, marking the first
time since 2004 that there is
no U.N. peacekeeping operation
in Haiti. The U.N. Integrated
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As the peacekeeping operation
wrapped up, the United
Nations appealed to the Haitian
people for political dialogue, an
end to violence and compromise,
saying that is the only
way to resolving the political
crisis.
Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the U.N.
peacekeeping chief, told the
Security Council that progress
since 2004 had been “considerable
but the achievements
of stability are still fragile
and must be deeper rooted in
democracy and development.”
Lacroix said “mistrust is
making compromise difficult”
but forming a unity government
as Haiti’s president called
for “may well provide a way
forward to lasting political
solutions that are desperately
needed.”
The last time Moise spoke
publicly was nearly three weeks
ago during a 2 am televised
address, which further angered
Members of the presidential guard provide security on the
road as they await the passage of the president’s convoy
on its way to the National Palace, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti,
Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2019 Associated Press / Rebecca Blackwell
Haitians demanding a change
in government.
After his speech, a couple
hundred protesters marched
through the capital of Port-au-
Prince, while others watched as
artists painted murals memorializing
victims under a bridge
that has served as the starting
point for demonstrations.
Haiti president breaks
silence, says will not resign
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