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Truenewsblog | January 5, 2022
By: Jacqueline Desrosiers
TrueNewsblog – According to the organizers of the Haitian Unity Summit scheduled to take place in Baton Rouge, Louisiana between January 13-19, the famous Haitian Catholic Bishop PIERRE-ANDRE DUMAS will not only attend the summit, but he will participate by providing opening prayers and benedictions. The bishop will meet with Louisiana Governor, John Bel Edwards, Lt. General Russel L. Honoré (ret) who will facilitate the summit and the Mayor of Baton Rouge Sharon Weston Broome.
This is great news for the organizers of the Summit who have experienced some resistance from certain sectors of the political class in Port-Au-Prince who argued that such a summit should have taken place in Haiti. An argument that defies logic considering that Haiti is controlled by criminal gangs, and no one is safe including the Prime Minister.
On January 1, the de facto prime minister DR. ARIEL HENRY was nearly killed when he went to Gonaives to celebrate Haiti’s Independence Day. A video of the prime minister flanged by bodyguards running for cover amid the sound of machine guns went viral on social media. One police officer was killed as others ran for cover inside their cars. Some political leaders such as former prime minister Evans Paul or K-plim had warned the unpopular prime minister about going to Gonaives, a place where the prime minister is persona non grata.
Bishop Dumas is the founding bishop of the diocese of Anse-a-Veau and Miragoane in Haiti. He is a well-respected religious leader, who is very popular in Haiti. “The fact that he agreed to participate in the Summit is testament to how important the summit is” said Emmanuel Roy, the executive director of the Haitian Diaspora Political Action Committee (HDPAC) the leading sponsor of the event. Dr. Georges J. Casimir, the president of HDPAC is excited about the news saying “Having this Bishop who had been sought in the past by many political factions to serve as a mediator is a strong signal that we are doing the right thing. How can anyone be against unity? How can we be against our own motto “l’union fait la force’?” He continued, “This event is about unity, it Is about unifying our country and bringing people with different views together to the same table to find a lasting solution.“
The Haiti Unity Summit is a Haitian-led event which provides a platform for all the different “Accords” to negotiate a final solution to the political crisis in Haiti. This Summit is an historic opportunity for all the parties to come together in one place to discuss the future of Haiti and how their wish to move forward after February 7, 2022, the date when the Constitutional term of office of president Jovenel Moise expires.
According to the organizers, the Summit receives broad support among Haitians from the Diaspora and in Haiti, as well as the international community.
Brian Nichols, the Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere, told the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee that this “…this must be a Haitian-led solution”. The same sentiment was echoed by Kenneth Merten, the United States charge affairs to Haiti who told a local radio station in Port-Au-Prince that “…we need An Accord of all the Accords.” U.S. ambassador to the United Nations,Linda Thomas-Greenfield, and several members of Congress, including Congressman Gregory Meeks, the Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee have all said that the path to a lasting political solution is a broadly negotiated solution. This Summit provides a historic opportunity for all parties to meet face to face and work out their differences. If you are interested in attending the summit you can register at HPDAC.Org or call their offices in Washington, DC at 202-508-3397.
