While more than one thought that Ariel Henry had resumed negotiations directly with the members of the Montana agreement without intermediary, in his speech on May 18 in Arcahaie, on the occasion of the celebration of the 219 years of the creation of the flag, the Prime Minister invited the political actors to sit down with the mediation committee on the crisis.
If after his face-to-face meetings with Magali Comeau Denis of the Montana agreement doubts hovered over the future of the mediation committee, Ariel Henry revived this structure formed by Monsignor Ogé Beauvoir of Religions for Peace , Laurent St Cyr of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Haiti (CCIH) and Jean Robert Charles of the Conference of Rectors, Presidents and Leaders of Haitian Universities and Institutions of Higher Education (CORPUHA).
“Today, we are at a crossroads which generates all forms of concern because of economic, environmental and security problems. We need to work, discuss, get along, set goals and do our best to achieve them together. This is why I encourage the initiative of representatives of the religious world, the university and the private sector to continue their process of consultation and consultation with all segments of society”, he said. to know.
“And I urge, he added, strongly those who have not yet participated in these exchanges to do so, because this is a path worth exploring and who can, who knows? allow us to come to an agreement on a few essential issues that can lead to a lasting and acceptable outcome for all of us. »
The Montana Accord Monitoring Office (BSA) has a completely different reading of the mediation committee. “During the direct conversation with the power in place, the BSA received, on May 17, 2022, an email from the “Executive Direction of the CCIO”, composed of Bishop Ogé Beauvoir, Professor Jean Robert Charles and Mr. Laurent St-Cyr. They present themselves as members of a mediation committee representing Religions for Peace-Haiti, the Conference of Rectors, Presidents and Heads of Haitian Universities and Institutions of Higher Education (CORPUHA) and the Chamber of Commerce and industry of Haiti (CCIH). They asked us for our opinion on insecurity, elections, the Constitution, the humanitarian crisis and governance. The BSA therefore understands that this is a survey,” the BSA explained in a press release.
The BSA believes that it is necessary that “these three citizens present to the public the mandate of the institutions they say they represent, the mandate of the people who have chosen them, the methodology of the opinion poll they want to do , their agenda, how they will deal with the results of the survey…”
“It is important for everyone to have answers to these questions in order to avoid leading the country to waste time without reason, while life becomes more expensive, while the population cannot go round the door, while we are victims of kidnapping, rape, massacre. Demands the BSA of the mediation committee.
However, the BSA has affirmed that it is willing and available to work with all “consequent entities and citizens in the country in order to reach a national compromise.” The BSA believes that it is important to remember that the situation is serious and this requires a lot of serenity, sincerity and respect for the battle we are waging among the population…”
Following the first two meetings between Magali Comeau Denis and Ariel Henry, the BSA submitted the terms of the negotiations to the Prime Minister for assessment and possible modification. These were the creation of an environment conducive to the success of the political dialogue process; the objectives of the political dialogue; the place and duration of the discussions; the agenda for discussions; the composition of delegations; observation of political dialogue.
The BSA claims to have received from the Prime Minister on May 17 a counter-proposal for the terms of negotiations.