News release 145/2006
(05 July 2006)

Your Excellency Mr. Patrick Manning, Immediate Past Chairman of CARICOM
Your Excellency Mr. Edwin Carrington, Secretary General of CARICOM
Your Excellencies Heads of Governments
Ladies
Gentlemen

Allow me first of all to express my most sincere thanks to the Government of St Kitts and Nevis, and in particular to the Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas, for the warm welcome accorded to the Haitian delegation. I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Most Hon. Portia Simpson-Miller, Prime Minister of Jamaica, who, like me, is assuming a constitutional mandate. Allow me Madam, to pay a well deserved tribute to your predecessor, the Hon. P.J. Patterson, to whom our organisation owes so much.

Today, after years of unrest, Haiti has been able to find constitutional normality once again - a new political regime has been put in place as a result of the elections in February and April, 2006 and the process will soon be completed with the organisation of municipal and local elections. I hope that, at the end of my mandate in February 2011, the Republic of Haiti would have taken decisive steps on the long and difficult road of democratic stability and sustainable development. This stability and continuity must be the fruit of permanent dialogue already engaged between the social, political and economic sectors of our society. The first result of this dialogue was the constitution of a government of large consensus with the participation of all political groups represented in Parliament.

Your Excellencies
Ladies and Gentlemen

On July 3rd, 1997, in Montego Bay, Jamaica, under my first Presidential term, Haiti had the privilege of obtaining status as a Member State of CARICOM.

On July 3rd, 2006, in Bird Rock, St. Kitts & Nevis, under my second mandate, or exactly nine years later, Haiti has the privilege of rejoining the Caribbean Community, the natural place for its integration, after twenty-eight months of absence.

My fellow colleague Heads of State,

During the next five years of my new mandate, I will work my hardest to contribute toward the strengthening of ties between my country and yours, and I will work with you for the advent of a Caribbean which will be more brotherly, stronger and more united when faced with mutual challenges.

Thank you.