ARTICLE - AMBASSADOR - FORMAL STATEMENT

"U.S. AMBASSADOR MAY HAVE TO FORMALIZE STATEMENT ON MARTELLY," SAYS SENATOR CASSY
(Defend Haiti) -

PORT-AU-PRINCE - Senator Nènèl Cassy (Nippes/Inite), a member of the special commission conducting the investigation on nationality, described Monday as "an important step", to seek a diplomatic "formalization" of the recent statement by U.S. Ambassador Kenneth Merten, who denied that the Haitian leader holds U.S. citizenship.

A Member of the Senate Committee of Inquiry, the parliamentarian believes that if Merten’s statement about the nationality of President Martelly can be considered an intrusion into Haiti's internal affairs,.... it can also open a breach in the search for favorable information about the former singer from the U.S. government.

"A step was taken. These statements mean that the ambassador of the United States is officially allowed to provide any information about President Martelly," said the representative of Nippes (southwest), who stressed that the committee can now consider extending correspondence to this effect, to Ambassador Merten.

Relevant information can be requested from the U.S. administration relating to the possible naturalization in the past by President Martelly.

"The ambassador did not say that [Martelly] had never renounced his Haitian nationality," noted Sen. Cassy.

Requested to submit the data in his possession about the alleged U.S. citizenship of Martelly during the passports display by the Head of State last Thursday at the National Palace, Merten said "President Martelly is not an American. He is Haitian."

Sharing the opinion of some political leaders for whom these remarks constitute a serious interference in the internal affairs of Haiti, Nènèl Cassy continues in parallel to see in this event some potentially useful indications.

He took the opportunity to indicate, like Senator Jean-Charles Moïse (Nord/Inite), that the Senate committee would probably not be able to return on Monday President Michel Martelly's eight passports, subject to serious investigation since last Thursday.

Parliamentarians continue to expect another very important travel document, a copy of the Haitian leader’s US green card, that the facilitators of Religions for Peace have already sought in vain.

The card bears the name of Michael Joseph Martelly, while the corresponding Haitian passport holder is named Michel Joseph Martelly.