Saturday, October 15, 2011

ARTICLE - MARTELLY - DETERMINED FOR ARMY

MARTELLY, DETERMINED TO GO AHEAD WITH HIS ARMY PROJECT
(Haiti Libre) -

Last Thursday, President Martelly told journalists, that he was determined to go ahead with his [controversial] project of reconstruction of the army, even if this project, that we published in its entirety does not have the support of all. An allusion of the Head of State to the statements of a senior U.S. administration who had recently suggested that "the way forward is really to focus on the Haitian National Police and their being able to get stronger and larger and more capable at doing their jobs" instead of creating an army...

President Martelly indicated that the future Haitian army would be a modern force designed to aid in cases of major natural events and the protection of maritime and land borders that will not make coups; he promised. He also wants to relaunch the National Information Service, an agency created by U.S. intelligence in the fight against cocaine trafficking after the departure of Duvalier. This agency now would fight terrorism, organized crime and "extremist" organizations...

The Head of State wished to clarify that "I do not want people to think I'm going to start without them [...] but I will start without them, if they do not start to move forward..."

Some of his opponents thought that it would be wiser to improve the police. "He can not control the police, so he wants to create his own force," believes Senator Moïse Jean-Charles. For his part, Senator Jean William Jeanty, estimates that the return of the army is not a priority for Haiti and that President Martelly "should not unilaterally decide on the remobilization of the Army of Haiti. This must be the result of a consensus", stressing on the necessity to include the National force, as part of a global development project; pleading preferably, for the strengthening of the PNH.

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